We live in a personalized world. Netflix, Amazon, Spotify, and almost every service we access online now curates content according to our tastes. That means when we sit down to view, purchase, or stream, we no longer need to waste time scrolling through content we would never in a million years care about. Instead, because of analytics, what we want is immediately on our screens waiting to be digested.
B2B buyers want the same experience. Because they have grown accustomed to curated content as consumers, they expect the same level of personalization at work. It’s no longer okay to just slap a potential buyer’s logo on a PowerPoint. Or to hold conversations with prospects that talk in generalities about their industry instead of about their direct needs or wants.
Marketers need to develop new ways to deliver both content and experiences that speak to what individual buyers see as challenges to their business. Not just any business in their industry – their†business in their industry. And sales reps need to use that content to lead conversations about the very things that individual buyers find most challenging.
We know all the factors that define the market for buyers — where they are located, which target audience they serve, if their industry is seasonal or not. Even language or culture play important roles. An understanding of all those factors is critical if sales reps want buyers to see them as solution providers.
Getting that understanding means that marketers need to diligently measure usage and impact of content. Part of this is understanding the viability of the content itself. That may include seeing which content is viewed the most, which content is shared the most, and which content leads most to discussions with the sales rep. These insights can help marketing invest more in content that works, and refine it according to individual buyers.
Delivering personal experiences to buyers helps keep them engaged. Sales enablement platforms gives sales reps tools to do just that with features such as:
● Animated Explanations: These are interactive experiences where you see the direct impact of complex decisions and processes.
● Offer Builders: An easy way to create estimates on the fly for buyers that you can send during a meeting.
● ROI Calculators: These provide real-cost efficiency profitability, savings and more – all tailored to the individual buyer’s company.
● Augmented Reality: This gives the buyer a fully dimensional view of the product, highlighting every detail possible.
● Training and coaching: This way sales reps are educated, which elevates them as trusted advisors with customers.
● Guided Selling Stories: These help sales reps tell the right story to the right person using CRM-driven data.
Modern buyers are smarter and more empowered than ever before. And they’re demanding value through content that is relevant and addresses the specific roadblocks they face.
Moreover, buyers don’t want to feel like they’re getting the same presentation as their competition. For them to trust the rep across the desk, reps need to demonstrate an understanding of not just the industry, but the buyer’s specific challenges and show how those can be overcome.
We live in a personalized world in all aspects of our lives. It’s time that we recognize how personalization plays an important role in the buying experience and arm our sellers with the tools to enable personalization at scale.
