There is a consequence to automating the buyer’s journey so much that even the buyer is not fully aware of the twists and turns he takes. If the buyer does not even understand the buyer’s journey, how can your salespeople? Many companies believe they are falling behind because of increased product diversity and consumer choice. The truth is that salespeople are losing the ability to construct a relevant, timely narrative that matches the prospects placement in the buyer’s journey.
This is especially true in the B2B space, in which salespeople must deal with an extraordinary amount of variety between prospect journeys. The answer to your B2B Marketing Challenges lies in how your sales team incorporates technology and cutting-edge communications into your sales strategy.
Technology Translates as Innovation
If your doctor’s office is full of the latest medical technology, you feel more at ease. This is true even if your doctor uses none of that equipment on you. Why? The tech in the office is a symbol of your doctor’s mindset. If she has the latest and greatest tools, then she must know the best procedures and the most effective medicines as well. It’s the halo effect.
Technology conveys innovation in the sales space. Even if your prospects know that your initial outreach emails are automated, they will feel more comfortable with you if they know you know how to correctly invoke the technology. In this way, your technology communicates added value to your prospect. He is then more likely to listen to what you have to say to him further down the sales funnel.
Actions Speak Louder than Words
If you want prospects to remember what you have to say, then you must master the concept of immersion. Invoking the use of multiple senses is a great way to start. Too much of the sales industry still relies on dry presentation to give information. The much more successful alternative, immersive sales techniques, combines the best of old-school showmanship with new school immersion.
Tools such as webinars, 3D digital showrooms and email story campaigns are just a few of the ways that you can engage your audience in a more immersive way. If you are not thinking of incorporating augmented and virtual reality into your presentations, you should begin thinking about it now. The major advantage of these technologies is that they force you to create a more holistic content that deserves the investment you will be making in the hardware and expertise.
Deeply Understanding Your Buyers
As you think of how to more fully immerse your buyers, you will naturally have to master a more detailed profile of those prospects. The primary challenge in most B2B operations comes down to data. You are losing track of your prospects during the buyer’s journey because you did not start out with enough data for a predictive behavioral analysis.
Instead of listing product details to your prospects, you should be listing prospect details to your salespeople. This is where marketing can make a huge difference. If your sales team is expected to be on the front line, you must send them out there with the right equipment. What is that equipment? The data. Your opt-in pages and outreach efforts should collect the data that your salespeople need to have an authentic conversation with your prospects.
