Treat B2B buyers like you treat you mother... help them buy without feeling sold.
Mothers day got me thinking about how kindness, empathy and R.E.S.P.E.C.T. are the unsung emotional heroes of B2B marketing.
For example, let’s say your mother needs a new computer. How would you help her buy one? More precisely, how would you help her feel good about making the right purchase for her needs?
TiP: Buyers must reach a high degree of confidence that your product/service is right for their needs before they will engage sales.
Back to mom.
Would you use FOMO on mom and tell her there is a sale down the road but she has to decide right now or miss out?
Would you talk about your own beloved computer so much there’s no room for conversation around her needs?
Would you toss around jargon and buzz words to confuse her while you feel smarter?
Gawd, I hope you’d never do any of that. It’s bad behavior. And bad marketing.
But what would good marketing help look like…
Certainly not a series of tricks, traps and clickbait, but a series of conversations. Rather than "selling" mom on something specific, you'd hear her out. You'd listen to what mom is telling you she needs, in her own words. No assumptions, just real, honest listening. This is research. What does mom need? Better yet, what does she deserve? What key would really improve her happiness and quality of life?
Once you understand her needs you can help her weigh her options. You’d probably make mom aware of the different types of computers. Desktops... Laptops... Tablets... etc. Since she’s perfectly capable of deciding on her own we want to empower her choice, not make it for her.
Eventually, you will head to the store. As she engages with different brands you might not even want the salesperson’s help yet. You just want mom to feel more comfortable, like she can drive this new computer on her own. That sense of empowerment feels good and propels mom (and buyers) into lower funnel sales conversations.
Mom is ready to make a choice. And because she is making an informed choice based on an understanding of her needs, it’ll be a good choice. You’ve empowered Mom to feel good about the impending sales conversation.
Now you walk the salesperson over to Mom and let them take over. They’re trained to deal with pricing and feature questions. In no time they’ll have mom paid up, onboarded, ready for unboxing and setup.
Congratulations! You have helped your mother buy without feeling sold. When you treat buyers with the same kind of respect, you become a guide worth following again and again and again.
Now go call you mother… and keep your ears peeled for upsell opportunities.
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