B2B marketing: Facts tell, stories sell
B2C marketers have long understood how the buyer’s brain works. They know that buying decisions come from the emotional part of our brain, and great brands tap into that brilliantly.
Nike don’t sell shoes; they sell ‘Just Do It‘. Apple don’t sell phones; they sell ‘think different‘. Evian don’t sell water; they sell ‘never grow old‘ (or cute dancing babies).
Why is it that when we move to B2B, suddenly it’s all about the product?
“The B2B buyer is different” – Buying a software for your company is not the same as buying an iphone for yourself. They research (more). They care about ROI. They want to know the logic behind the product; information, not emotions. They are rational.
Really?
It’s not enough to have a good product!
If all that matters is to have a great product, why do so many businesses with great products fail, while a handful of others thrive?
Any company can make a good product. Most of the time, differentiation in terms of benefits or value is very limited.
In this CEB whitepaper about the purchasing behavior of B2B buyers, it’s stated that,
“the limited effect of business value messages lies in the nature of decision making itself. Although B2B buying is often treated as a rational activity, all human decisions are driven by a complex mix of gut, emotion, post-rationalization, and reason.“
“Not only do emotions matter in B2B buying, but they actually matter even more than logic and reason.”
(the guy who buys that iPhone is the same guy making the decision for that CRM!)
Be it B2B, B2C, we mustn’t forget that it’s always human to human. It’s about speaking to people, creating a relationship, building trust.
Most B2B prospection/marketing is done like this:
“We have a great lead generation solution – you get a real-time list of leads ranked by buying probability in an easy-to-use interface. The ROI is proven – want to give me your money?“
We say what we do, we say how we’re better and different, and we expect people to accept, react and buy.
Now what if we try this?
“We believe in changing the status quo of how companies do businesses. We believe your time is wasted cold-calling the wrong people at the wrong timing, while other mature leads are out there ready to buy. That’s why our solution is made to help you work smarter. It’s intuitive, results are scientifically proven, and our lead scoring algorithm is unique in Europe. Want to know more?”“
Every organization knows what it’s doing/selling, but very few knows why.
The why is often a universal value or aspiration - family, friendship, love, innovation, endurance, self-improvement -
It’s only when a company has a clear why, when the prospection and sales team has a clear why, that this can be conveyed to the prospects. The why is the dream, the belief - the product is just a result of that dream and belief.
Who wants clients when you can have loyal friends?
When people understand the why, when they feel you share beliefs, that you care about what they care about, trust and empathy are created. Relationships are built. We need our B2B potential clients to like us, not our products. If they like us, they’ll be more willing to listen to us, to buy from us, to take risks. They are also more likely to choose you over your competitor, because you’ve built trust. They believe in what you believe. If they like only the product, there is no relationship, or what B2C called ‘brand affinity’; your clients will sway easily.
If a guy is an hour late for whatever reason on the first date, he probably won’t get a second date. If your best friend is an hour late because he needed to take care of his sick mother, you are more likely to be more understanding. When we understand the why, and when the relationship is created, it is much easier to sell and to keep the clients even in the events of hiccups or issues with the product. When a good friend screws up, you’re more willing and likely to give him another chance.
Tell your why with stories.
Stories stick.
Evoke the je ne sais quoi
Let’s take a quick look at how our brains look like. When we communicate from the outside in (starting from the what), people can understand the features, facts and info, but that doesn’t drive action (purchase).
When we tell stories with emotions, we stimulate the brain from the inside out; we talk directly to the emotional part of the brain that makes decisions (which has no capacity for language) and after they feel it, we help them rationalize it with the facts and tangible details of our product. That’s why we like to say, “I don’t know how to explain it – I just have a gut feeling“.
It’s kind of like falling in love. We feel it, and then we find the person’s attributes and qualities to justify our feeling. We need our prospects and clients to fall in love with us, and then it won’t be us selling them our product, it’ll be them justifying why they want to buy from us.
Too long didn’t read - what’s the takeaway?
Learn from top B2C marketing. Find your why. Stand for something bigger than your product.
Why do you do what you do? and why should people care?