Lost in a fog of elusive deals? Here's the B2B buyer journey guide you need

If you’ve ever felt the frustration of missed targets, off-the-mark efforts, and go-nowhere pitches and wondered what's going wrong, you're not alone. No matter how seasoned or savvy you are as a B2B leader, marketer, or sales professional, navigating the fog of organizational decision-making can feel daunting at best—and doomed at worst—without the right map from the start. 

Knowing your customers' purchasing process is key to meeting their needs. However, this process becomes much more complicated when it comes to making a business sale. In this blog, we'll break down the nuances of the B2B buyer journey and help you map it, step by step, so you can align your strategy, hit your targets, and close those elusive deals. 

The B2C vs B2B buyer journey: What's the difference?

You're probably familiar with the term buyer journey. This three-stage process is key to understanding what your customer goes through before making a purchase. Whether the buyer is an individual consumer, family, or business, you can shape their purchasing route with a well-crafted marketing strategy that addresses their needs at each stage. 

In the business-to-customer (B2C) buyer journey, an individual or family makes a relatively quick and emotional decision based on personal preferences. However, in the business-to-business (B2B) buyer journey, the decision-making process is much more complex and takes much longer because it often involves multiple stakeholders, long-term commitments, and greater financial investment. 

Why mapping the B2B buyer journey matters

Every buyer journey, B2C or B2B, begins with the awareness stage. That's the moment a potential customer becomes aware of your brand, products, or services. Once they start evaluating your offerings and comparing alternatives to see if they meet their needs, they've moved on to stage two, consideration. When the buyer finally makes a purchase in the decision stage three, the journey is complete (sort of, but more on that note a bit later). 

In the B2B market, this process is much more complex because of the multiple stakeholders involved. That's why mapping your buyer journey is essential — you're most likely pitching to a buying committee rather than a single customer.  Made up of representatives from various departments, like finance, IT, operations, and executive leadership, an average buying committee involves between 6 and 10 stakeholders, each with their own needs, and priorities. 

Building relationships with each of these individuals takes an investment of time, research, and patience. Convincing them to purchase your product or service requires proving the value and benefits for their company beyond the bottom line. What are their values and goals? How does that tie into the business need? And how much power and sway do they have when it comes to the final decision?

The answers to these questions will inform your B2B journey map. What will they need at each stage? For example, financial decision-makers may require detailed ROI analyses, while IT professionals might need technical specifications and integration guides. By addressing the specific needs and concerns of all the decision-makers, you can streamline and focus your efforts.

Mapping the stages of your B2B buyer journey 

Understanding the nuances of the B2B buyer journey is critical for meeting the unique needs of your potential business customer. Start by identifying the members of its buying committee and create a persona for each of them. Once you understand their priorities, you can craft your strategy for each of the B2B buyer journey stages:

Stage 1: Awareness

How will your potential customers discover your brand, products, or services? Conferences, content marketing, word-of-mouth? Get specific. For the B2B buyer, focus on personalized outreach, such as direct mail, industry-specific advertising, webinars, trade shows, and networking events. Your strategy should address the specific needs and challenges your potential business customer might be facing from the multiple perspectives of the buying committee. For example, let's say you've identified a need for an onboarding solution for new employees with your potential customer (and you happen to be selling software that makes that process smoother). You might rent a booth at an IT tradeshow to network with IT professionals and target HR decision-makers and executive leadership through differently crafted content marketing that speaks to their specific needs.

Stage 2: Consideration

Once your potential customers know about your brand or service, they'll need to evaluate its features and benefits. This stage is often lengthier in the B2B context because of the number of stakeholders and significant investment involved. Again, make sure you're meeting the needs of all potential stakeholders by providing specifically targeted information. For example, to show how your software solution fits the organization’s needs (and budget), you may need to set up one-to-one meetings with executive leadership, present online demonstrations to the HR team, and provide in-depth analyses to the financial department. 

Stage 3: Decision

Unlike the intuitive, emotional purchase decisions often made by individual consumers, the B2B decision stage is much more intricate, formal, and thought-out. It often involves contract negotiations, procurement processes, legal reviews, and a collaborative approval process. 

What will each stakeholder need to agree to finalize the deal? Does IT require a detailed implementation plan? Will HR need training and ongoing support? What else might be critical at this stage before each stakeholder weighs in on the decision? 

Finally, keep in mind that the B2B buyer journey doesn't end with the decision ( as hinted at before). How will you turn your new customer into a happy, repeat customer and keep them singing your praises? Technically, "loyalty and advocacy" are part of the overall "customer journey," but it's important to keep these two additional stages in mind when mapping the B2B buyer journey from the start. 

Stage 4: Loyalty

How will you keep your customers happy once they've signed on the dotted line? Will they need regular check-ins? On-going support? Or 24-hour access to a problem-solving hotline? In this stage, focus on your own brand of "customer success initiatives" and provide exceptional account management. Remember, there were a lot of people involved in the decision-making process, so keep nurturing these valuable relationships. 

Stage 5: Advocacy

Loyal customers can lead to new opportunities for upselling and cross-selling in the company and beyond. Building this stage into your B2B journey means leveraging their satisfaction to generate positive word-of-mouth, testimonials, and case studies. How will you capture their endorsements and promote their success stories? Turning satisfied customers into brand advocates is another advantage of understanding your B2B journey, so add it to the map.

The B2B buyer journey map: A lighthouse in the fog

Although it's complex, with high stakes and more stakeholders, the B2B journey doesn't have to be daunting. By mapping it out for each stakeholder on the buying committee, with each stage's specific nuances in mind, you can confidently navigate this complex process and seal the deal with your customer.

Want a better way to visualize the journey touch points your business needs to meet for your customers? Get in touch. Our unique journey management solution will shine a light through the fog for everyone on your team.