How can we provide the human B2C style experience B2B buyers now crave.

#DataHQIDEAS

Technology will soon be a given for every business.

However, when everyone has it, brands who will still thrive are those with the best human connection.

This is not new. Take a look at these headlines

• 2018 PWC:
  - Three quarters of customers surveyed say they want more human interaction in future, not less.
  - The price premium for quality CX worldwide is up to 16 percent
  https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/future-of-customer-experience.html

• 2019 HBR:
  “Smart organisations, rather than continuing to automate their services at all costs, would be wise to understand the ways that human presence creates value in the mind of consumers.“
  https://hbr.org/2019/06/when-customers-want-to-see-the-human-behind-the-product

• 2021 Korn Ferry:
  The bottom-line benefit of being a radically human organisation... “Our research shows they have grown faster than their peers (compound annual EBITDA growth rates of 20% to 600%).
  https://www.kornferry.com/insights/featured-topics/organizational-transformation/transform-into-radically-human-organization

• 2022 Korn Ferry:
  - The New Era of Humanity. Power has shifted. From organisations to people. From profit to mutual prosperity. From “me” to “we”.
  https://www.kornferry.com/insights/featured-topics/future-of-work/2022-future-of-work-trends

Here’s 4 ideas to help you create a human B2C style experience within your B2B organisation.

1. Story tell instead of pitch what you do. And no I don’t mean stretching the truth! Buyers don’t really want to hear about your products until they’re ready. People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons so connect with their feelings, empathise and help them to achieve things that matter to them personally.
   
   
2. Use technology to supercharge your campaign personalisation. There are several ways to incorporate personalisation into your B2B lead nurturing campaigns through marketing automation.
   a) Give your campaign a better start by modelling your initial prospect audience on the same attributes as your best customer.
   b) Segment your audience into groups based on shared characteristics or behaviours. Then you can create targeted messaging that is relevant to each group.
   c) Create dynamic content that changes based on the characteristics or behaviours of the individual recipient.
   d) Personalised email subject lines and messaging can help increase click-through rates of emails. You can also use automation to send targeted emails based on the actions of the recipient, such as abandoned enquiry emails.
   e) Personalised landing pages based on the actions or characteristics of your leads to increase the relevance and effectiveness of your campaign.
   
   
3. Be generous with your wisdom. We live in the TikTok and Instagram age where information is shared openly with joyous pride. This is fast becoming the expected norm in our society and is how people grow influence. Historically we’ve worried about ‘giving away’ too much IP. Now we know that being generous with our wisdom will draw people towards you like a magnet. Find new ways to share your knowledge generously and proactively so you establish yourself as the go-to person in your field. You want to be on people’s minds before your prospect even formalises their intent to buy.
   
   
4. Being socially active with target buyers. Social media has given rise to social selling. A lot of people view their participation on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as one of the more effective sales skills. And it provides a good platform to extend into shared experiences like dinners and social events for groups of buyers with common interests. Very little direct selling takes place at these events but they do establish you as an influential person within the group.

If this subject has caught your interest, there’s a longer read here:

How the best salespeople are reinventing themselves for modern selling

Carlene Russell
Data HQ Senior Account Manager
You can email me if you need some help
Connect with me on LinkedIN for more #DataHQIDEAS