BY Tim Londergan
Customer motivators are slippery things. They may vary with each buyer/seller encounter. Each situation is unique; all players distinctive.
Investigating the topic turns up theories like Seth Godin’s “People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.” Flippantly, we can only imagine how well “stories and magic” go over with a nine-member procurement committee.
However, there is a mix of rational and emotional factors at play during the buyers’ journey. Curiously, it falls to you to sort out the most powerful solutions.
Buyer Psychology Reveals Customer Motivators
Buyer psychology investigates motivations behind purchasing decisions. It goes beyond knowing what people buy. More importantly, in the B2B world, buyer psychology explores the influences and behaviors behind those decisions.
Agilecrm.com offers support and a robust discussion of buyer motives and how sales teams can keep business flowing. Their offering is a detailed guide to the dynamics at play and how to build credibility and create loyalty.
Identify customer pain points
Understanding the psychology of B2B buying is crucial to your business. It helps you comprehend customer behavior and tailor your marketing strategies to meet customer needs more effectively. Of course, it all begins with understanding your customers’ needs and pain points.
Branding triggers motivation
Significantly, in B2B dealings, branding will impact customer motivators throughout the sales cycle. The buyer has pre-qualified a strong brand. This makes the prospect more likely to consider your solution.
Improving the customer experience
Understanding buyer psychology helps you influence decisions about pricing mindset and social proof. Using insights from sales psychology, you can optimize every interaction creating a seamless and satisfying experience.
Fit and Alignment are Essential Customer Motivators
Purchase motivation is highest for products that directly align with the target organization’s goals and challenges. Moreover, the product must be right in terms of value and demonstrate a strong return on investment (ROI).
Risk reduction
Considerations, such as risks and security guarantees are critical. As more shareholders convene, each entity will focus on their exposure and the threats to their area of responsibility. Customer motivators are contingent on potential operational, financial or reputational hazards.
Trust and reputation
Proving your company’s trustworthiness is key to alignment with your partners, according to B2Brocket. This team of sales automation professionals maintain that decision-makers evaluate vendors on critical touchpoints. Positive customer testimonials, case studies and referrals from trusted sources are key influences necessary for lasting success.
Ease of use
Comfort is a strong customer motivator. Ongoing support, ease of deployment and a frictionless onboarding process can reassure fit and alignment. Notably, if your product requires cross-department validation be sure to touch all the bases.
Emotional Connections and Trust are Significant Customer Motivators
Emotions driven by your brand and the credibility propelled by your relationships can exceed logical and rational criteria. “B2B customers are significantly more emotionally connected to their vendors and service providers than (B2C) consumers.”, according to DeSantis Breindel.
These brand strategists argue that consumer purchases are relatively low risk. (Don’t like an item? Return it.) B2B purchases, by contrast, represent transactions with high-stakes consequences across an enterprise and its people.
Therefore, when B2B buyers green-light high-value deals they rely on the sentiments and credibility instilled by the promise of long-term relationships.
Strategically, it’s a wise practice to identify, motivate and empower “champions” within the customer organization who advocate internally. These supporters will help address priorities and objectives across departments as well as the entire company.
Ultimately, the customer motivators leading to success are a mix of rational and emotional factors. Together, they allow you to drive positive outcomes with branding, collaboration and alignment with customer goals.
Photo by Kelly on Pexels.
