by Steve Fodor
I read something interesting in Business-To-Business magazine recently. Over 70% of industrial buyers view white papers as the most credible source of information for their purchasing decisions. Even more, they prefer information they can download from a Web site.
At first I was surprised by this statistic. I’ve always viewed the “stand-by” full-line product brochure as a necessity for anyone selling in the B2B, industrial world. But, with a new generation of decision makers entering the work force, I guess this isn’t such a surprise.
People (be them consumers or industrial buyers) want information on their terms. In a world of commodity products, decisions are often made based on “who makes it the most convenient for me to purchase” and “who gives me a feeling of more control over my purchasing situation.”
Selling tools for today’s new generation of decision makers must be created to meet their information needs, not the seller’s. Think about all the new alternatives to the standard, printed brochure. There are DVDs, social media venues, opt-in e-mail and others that present information in a more dynamic and convenient format than a printed brochure. Not to mention that some of these options are more flexible and less costly than a printed piece.
Ultimately, it comes down to understanding the information needs of your customer. How do they use information? What is their decision-making process? Where do they go for information? What do they consider the most credible sources for information?
Understand what customers want and how they want to be communicated with. Gee, what a novel marketing concept.
I read something interesting in Business-To-Business magazine recently. Over 70% of industrial buyers view white papers as the most credible source of information for their purchasing decisions. Even more, they prefer information they can download from a Web site.
At first I was surprised by this statistic. I’ve always viewed the “stand-by” full-line product brochure as a necessity for anyone selling in the B2B, industrial world. But, with a new generation of decision makers entering the work force, I guess this isn’t such a surprise.
People (be them consumers or industrial buyers) want information on their terms. In a world of commodity products, decisions are often made based on “who makes it the most convenient for me to purchase” and “who gives me a feeling of more control over my purchasing situation.”
Selling tools for today’s new generation of decision makers must be created to meet their information needs, not the seller’s. Think about all the new alternatives to the standard, printed brochure. There are DVDs, social media venues, opt-in e-mail and others that present information in a more dynamic and convenient format than a printed brochure. Not to mention that some of these options are more flexible and less costly than a printed piece.
Ultimately, it comes down to understanding the information needs of your customer. How do they use information? What is their decision-making process? Where do they go for information? What do they consider the most credible sources for information?
Understand what customers want and how they want to be communicated with. Gee, what a novel marketing concept.
Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinandrewstewart/
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