As I continue to look at the 7 Expectations of a Buyer, I’m thought I’d take some time and look at #2 on the list of things buyers expect from brands, companies and marketers:
I want you to understand how I buy.
Another way to look at this might be that they don’t want to be sold to, which is echoed in the image above. So while I’m sure all of us marketers are doing what we can to support our internal sales processes, what are we doing to support the buying process? What insights do we have into how they buy? Why they really buy one product or another? Below are a couple of questions that might help understand the difference between supporting the sales force and the market.
- How many people are involved in a buying process for your product?
- What information, if any, is required for your buyer to justify buying your solution from a budget perspective?
- What is the average length of a buying cycle from research, approval of the budget and selection?
- What are the cost implications of doing nothing for the buyer?
- Does the buyer really want to change from the current situation?
- Is the buyer’s business ready to change their current situation?
Ultimately, if we can understand the needs of the buyer and typical process a buyer goes through it would be easier to develop content and materials which would be REALLY used in the decision cycle. It’s possible most of us already have it, but we haven’t made it available online or it’s hidden behind from registration page which your buyer can readily find.