Written by: Vickie Sullivan | April 15, 2014
Thought Leadership Brands for How Buyers Buy
I’ve said for years that buyers behave differently when they have multiple options. This article from Strategy+Business really drills down on how buyers use criteria differently as the sale process progresses.
Yes, the article focuses on B2C. Don’t count this perspective out thought — I see this happen all the time in B2B.
The upshot from the article: In the initial phase, buyers look at who fits. The criteria are very objective and applied evenly to all options. Once you pass that hurdle and are inside the “considered set,” the game changes. The cut-offs and the must-haves criteria have been filled. The decision here is far more subjective. Multiple criteria are evaluated simultaneously. It’s now about the trade offs. Instead of who’s the best, it’s about the best compromise among the several must-have criteria. Wow.
This could solve the mystery on why buyers are so excited at first and then you don’t hear from them again. And why they can’t tell you why one thought leader got hired over another. The compromise is difficult to pinpoint, let alone explain.
Many thought leaders brand themselves to make it past the initial phase and not for this compromise. While difficult to dance on the head of a pin, we must balance these two dynamics. This advanced approach to branding will make your close rate soar.
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