Most businesses have an elevator pitch: a what-and-why description of their company that can be explained in under a minute. For B2B companies, pitching their business often requires a longer elevator ride.
Pitching products and services to businesses, rather than individual consumers, requires getting key stakeholders to view a product as more than just “convenient” or “new and exciting.” B2B marketers need to grab the attention of those in charge of the decision-making process directly and show that they understand another company’s business processes. To drive sales, B2B marketers need to develop business-specific strategies with sales to turn potential customers into buyers.
For that reason, many B2B marketers say simplicity and directness is key. Michelle Tilton, vice president of marketing at Infutor Data Solutions, agrees.
“B2B marketers must understand that buyers are busy people who have limited time to understand what a company does and how solutions provide value,” Tilton said.
But being direct doesn’t mean B2B marketing should sacrifice its human touch.
Chicago-based Infutor enables brands to better understand consumers’ spending patterns, helping companies make more informed marketing and risk mitigation decisions. Tilton said many B2B marketers don’t get close enough to the customer to understand how buyers want to be treated. To accomplish this, she recommends holding more customer interviews and cross-functional meetings with the sales team.
Some of her top advice? Never underestimate the power of a one-to-one connection.
What advice do you have for other B2B marketers looking to inject more humanity into their campaigns?
B2B marketers must understand that buyers are busy people who have limited time to understand what a company does and how solutions provide value. They need to make the connection respectfully, quickly and provide value on both a personal and professional level. A lot of B2B marketers don’t get close enough to the customer to truly understand how buyers want to be treated. This can be accomplished through more customer interviews, reviews of recorded sales calls or cross-functional meetings with sales.
Knowing how to relate to the buyer is the best advice for any B2B marketer.
We think it’s really important to understand the business issues and personal motivators of our clients.”
What are some creative or unique ways your team makes your marketing efforts more human?
Business buyers are still individuals who seek a one-to-one connection in order to make a confident buying decision. We think it’s really important to understand the business issues and personal motivators of the clients we work with. We try hard to listen to our customers, hear what motivates them and customize our marketing messages to align with what motivates them to buy. One example of how we’ve shifted our messaging to be more human is to make our materials and approach conversational, and thereby more personal, and easier to consume quickly.
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