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Gain insights into the preferences and behaviors shaping the future of business interactions

Table of contents
1. Traits of Modern B2B Buyers
2. Adapting to a Mobile-First Generation
3. Connecting with Today’s B2B Buyers

The B2B industry is currently going through a massive revamp, largely driven by the prevalence of millennial buyers with purchasing power. According to Forbes, 73% of people sitting in decision-making positions in various organizations are millennials. This departure is a seismic shift from the earlier millennia, when baby boomers and Gen Xers had control over B2B purchase decisions.

1. Traits of Modern B2B Buyers

The biggest customer group of today’s millennial generation B2B buyers, along with their Gen Z counterparts, heavily affects purchasing trends. Their unique traits dictate the mechanization of modern B2B deals. The buyers are digitally native and use the internet to a greater extent for shopping around for products, evaluating them, and finding out what others think about them. For instance, in a Google study, 81% of B2B purchasers began their buying journey on the web.

In addition, millennials value autonomy and information better than anything; thus, they prefer to explore more on their own before coming into contact with vendors’ representatives. This implies that online resources should be availed of in full, and self-service options should be provided as well.

2. Adapting to a Mobile-First Generation

The widespread use of smartphones has created a mobile-first culture among millennial B2B buyers. Firms need to fine-tune their digital resources, such as websites and communication platforms, for flawless mobile encounters. Neglecting this will have devastating consequences, as can be seen in the fact that 61% of users never come back to an incompatible mobile site.

Millennials are likely to choose brands that are socially responsible. Hence, B2B companies should emphasize their green manufacturing and exploit their ethical practices, not just as a way to contribute to the community but also to improve their brand image. As per Cone Communications’ research, 87% of millennials are likely to purchase products from companies committed to solving societal and environmental problems.

3. Connecting with Today’s B2B Buyers

To be successful in B2B communications, millennial decision-makers need to be connected with a holistic approach based on an exchange of values. This, therefore, means that they should be able to create customized content that addresses the specific problems that satisfy each audience’s unique needs. As an illustration, Adobe ensured the increase in its sales by using a data-driven strategy that personalized each of its content for each purchaser and attained an outcome with a 14% increase in conversion rates.

In addition, adopting cutting-edge technologies based on analytics and AI enables businesses to anticipate consumers’ preferences and tailor their services accordingly. IBM Watson, for instance, provides cognitive solutions that analyze big data sets so as to find insights actionable by businesses, hence making companies interact at higher levels with customers.

The key to success today is to understand the changing dynamics of millennial B2B buyers’ style of consumption, as it is becoming more pronounced in a stiff business environment that is getting more competitive by the day. By focusing business strategies on the digital, mobile, and social awareness tendencies of this demographic, businesses can create a foundation of meaningful relationships and thereby drive sustainable growth.

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Explore the key pitfalls hindering outbound sales success and learn how to overcome them.

 
Table of contents
1. Excessive Use of Discounts and Promotions
2. Prioritizing Prospects Over Customers
3. Lack of a Standout Value Proposition
Conclusion

 
Building personal relationships and closing deals rapidly has always been the client’s greatest demand in the area of outward sales. Yet even the most skilled sales team with good intentions is faced with some challenges that make them not as productive as they could be. Today we will focus on the three most common mistakes and give the reasons for their existence.

1. Excessive Use of Discounts and Promotions

Leaning heavily on coupons and discounts, inbound marketing can be like the sharp edge of a sword with two sides. Obviously, discounts can be utilized to secure a sale or deal in the moment but will therefore diminish the perceived value of your offering. Imagine this: if you slash prices too often, customers may assume that there is some problem with your product or service. Similarly, if you overdo the promotions, they may start expecting discounts all the time. Which might turn out to be a problem for you if you want to sell the product at full price.

Instead of using discounts as the strategy of the first choice, try to emphasize why your offer is a unique and worthwhile option. What problems is it focused on solving? Does it help to solve specific problems that your customers are having? Instead of arguing about the pricing, the customer is more likely to agree on the value you are supplying them. Living up to this means that the customers will be ready to pay full price if they recognize the true value of what you’re selling. This way, you will not have a reason to sacrifice your margins.

2. Prioritizing Prospects Over Customers

Usually, an outbound sales case has the ideology of ignoring present customers in favor of gaining new ones, which is a typical error. Indeed, widening your market share is imperative, while neglecting those customers who keep purchasing your products or services might well turn out to be counterproductive. In a nutshell, your loyal customers constitute real treasure that is still lying there hidden. This will prompt customers to return and share their experience with other people.

In order to avoid that kind of mistake, it is mandatory to divert both attention and some of the resources towards fostering the loyalty of existing customers. Appoint them as your VIP customers; respond to their needs by giving them excellent customer service, keeping in touch with them regularly, and offering them some courtesy rewards from time to time. In addition to making them happy, you increase their potential to repeat your purchase and become profitable customers. Ultimately, it leads to a growth pattern that will stand the test of time and will compel your customers to stay with you for a long time to come.

3. Lack of a Standout Value Proposition

In the cutthroat sales industry, with lots of companies fighting for clients, you need to make sure the traits that make you stand out are employed against your competitors. Imagine this: You are a shopper at a busy market that is also a place where producers are competing with one another, and each one is trying to be more attractive than the rest. The competition is very tough; how will you make your brand stand out from all the other brands in the market? In this case, a USP that differentiates and sets the business apart becomes of the highest importance.

Picture your USP as your magic bullet that comes with a unique angle that separates your product or service from the others. It is what sets your product apart and grabs customers’ attention, stirring their curiosity about what is on offer. A USP that is vague and lacks flair could be the one that sinks your efforts while failing to attract potential buyers.

In a nutshell, what are the measures to avoid the above-mentioned pitfall? It’s simple: apart from all the tools and services on offer, take time to understand what makes your product stand out. Is it the outstanding quality or superiority that you claim? Maybe it’s the cutting-edge functionality that puts your product on the map, or perhaps it’s the practical application that leads your customers to marvel at your invention. Or maybe the outstanding customer-friendly service specializes in the clientele.

When you have determined your USP, be certain to make it the center of attention in your communications to sales. Highlight the strengths of your product, explaining why it is the superior option for customers. By focusing on your USP as the essence of your pitch, you will capture audience attention, stimulate interest, and, in the end, satisfy the needs of customers who are seeking something out of the ordinary.

Conclusion

Avoiding mistakes is one of the most important things when it comes to outbound sales. Sales operatives can maximize their performance and unveil a better business fortune by staying away from blows such as over-dependence on price cuts, disregard for existing customers, and having an unclear USP. Through offering high-value propositions, fostering strong relationships, and distinguishing from competition, companies can employ outbound sales with ease of mind and easily attain the financial targets they aim for.

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Table of contents
1. Not Having Clearly Defined Marketing Goals
2. Not Running Enough Tests
3. Not Having a Target Audience to Market
4. Creating Spam
5. Ignoring Customers’ Pain Points

The aim of this article is to discuss some of the main errors made by marketers and marketing agencies in 2024. These mistakes can obstruct businesses from achieving their goals. However, we will also provide tips on how to prevent these issues. So let’s begin and see how we can make marketing better.

1. Not Having Clearly Defined Marketing Goals

A marketer without a business goal is like a ship without a rudder. They will be confused and unable to steer. You won’t know the audience to target or the most efficient ways to get your message across, let alone where to spend your time and money. This will affect your income, and probably your business will not be able to stay open.

On the other hand, if you establish SMART goals (which are strong, measurable, favorable, and time-bound), it can influence a lot. SMART goals are simple, memorable, and motivational facilitators that will help him achieve his long-term objective. They can help you accomplish many things, including organizing your work or planning your content. Again, this will imbue you with positive emotions and motivation.

2. Not Running Enough Tests

Data is critically important and also needs to be regularly reviewed. If you are not testing how your website is performing, then there are possibilities that you might not be aware of the challenges that are present in website design or function. If your content doesn’t please your target audience and gets more inflow of business buyers, what is the point? Your customers will quickly take a dislike to your site and stop interacting, which will make you lose much more traffic than before.

Google Analytics, as well as Hotjar.com, SEMrush, and HubSpot, are great tools that can help you monitor website traffic and other relevant data. This data can display your best content, with which you can improve and produce attractive content.

3. Not Having a Target Audience to Market

Creating content on your own and not targeting consumers for whom you design may be detrimental to your lead generation. This is particularly essential if your area of specialization is inbound marketing. If you keep putting out generic content without thinking about who might be interested, you’re basically doing old-fashioned marketing instead of the newer, smarter kind.

That’s why it’s important to create buyer personas. These are made-up profiles of your ideal customers. They help you understand who you’re trying to reach and how to get their attention. When you know who you’re talking to, you can write better emails, put up more interesting stuff on your website, and attract more customers. And when you do that, your business will do better financially too.

4. Creating Spam

Jamming the inboxes of consumers will not attract them, but rather repel them. Spam annoys people, and they won’t trust it, especially if they’ve been hacked before. It’s better to avoid spamming if you want to keep a good reputation with your customers.

Instead of spamming, send normal, personalized emails for marketing. At first, it might seem like spamming, but the difference is that you’re sending emails to people who actually want them.

5. Ignoring Customers’ Pain Points

Customers face various problems at different stages of purchasing. In the B2B realm, common issues for the consumer include feeling like they’re not getting enough help or information, not getting what they are paying for, or finding the buying process too complicated.

It’s important to listen to what customers say. Their words are genuine and important. Acknowledge their worries about navigating the market and be quick to solve any problems they’re facing. Keep communicating with your customers clearly and regularly. Check and improve your products to ensure their longevity and customer satisfaction. Try to make every step of purchasing smooth and quick.

Avoiding these mistakes can make a significant difference in the performance of your marketing. Enhancing your marketing strategy thus entails putting clear goals in place, testing things out, knowing who you are targeting, desisting from spamming, and engaging your customers, among others. Thus, it involves getting the right connection with people, through which you could make your business grow.

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Discover why intent marketing is crucial for businesses to connect with the right prospects at the right time. Learn how it enhances lead generation and boosts sales.

We all understand that account-based marketing is a great way to boost business and sales. ABM allows marketers to concentrate on their strategies, marketing, and efforts on important accounts. But what if you want to go even further and elevate your marketing and business? Well, the answer is intent data.

Nowadays, it is very crucial for businesses to look after their customers’ preferences. Intent data has become a go-to tool for every B2B marketer, as it provides knowledge of prospects’ interest in a product or service, which can help you focus on the ABM strategy, shorten the sales cycles, and close more leads.

Software providers who want a boost in conversions can integrate ABM with buyer intent data to find and reach potential customers more effectively. In this article, we’ll explore three simple ways to integrate intent data into your sales funnel to boost your profits.

Three Ways to Use Intent Data Throughout Your Sales Funnel

1.1 Expand Your List of Prospects

To maximize your marketing and sales efforts, you can start by expanding your list of potential customers. Focus on adding companies that align with your ideal customer profile (ICP) using CRM software. This tool helps track and score leads from various sources, such as your website and marketing campaigns.

Utilize B2B intent data to identify brands matching your ICP and discover contacts showing high interest in your product or service. This approach broadens your reach, allowing you to target new buyers effectively. By concentrating your efforts on leads with strong intent, you can boost the efficiency and accuracy of your outreach.

For example, let’s consider a nonprofit management tech company during the pandemic. Faced with the tremendous expansion of the nonprofit donor management market, they faced challenges identifying potential leads. Leveraging intent data, they created a targeted list of accounts meeting their ICP criteria. By focusing marketing efforts on high-intent prospects, they closed approximately one new deal per week and attributed 90% of their potential new consumers to intent data.

1.2 Flag Customers at Risk for Churn

To ensure continued success, it’s essential to monitor customers who might be disinterested. Even if you’re gaining new customers through ABM and intent data, keeping an eye on potential churn is vital. Intent data helps you analyze and spot customers showing signs of leaving, like reduced web activity or less interest in your content.

When you find a customer at risk of churn, reach out to see what’s wrong. They may be experiencing challenges with your product or considering switching to another provider. Either way, addressing the problem directly is the best way to retain their loyalty and client relationship.

For example, a performance management company noticed that two customers were considering other options. Their account managers reached out proactively to understand why and how they could help. To meet their needs, they retained both clients by adding additional features. This move not only saved $10K in yearly income but also brought in an extra $2K in revenue from their contracts.

1.3 Convert High-quality Leads

To maximize your sales success, it’s crucial to convert potential customers into high-quality leads. After identifying and targeting prospects, use intent data to understand their interests and behaviors. This allows you to score leads, personalize your communication, and increase conversions.

By analyzing behavioral data, you can uncover micro-conversions that indicate strong interest in your product. For instance, if a lead downloads a specific white paper or attends a webinar, it shows they want to learn more. This information helps you segment leads effectively.

For example, a HR processing tech company needed to focus on high-value accounts efficiently. They utilized intent data to monitor and track their top customers’ activity on digital marketing sites. This early buyer discovery led to an opportunity worth $89K, which is three times larger than their usual sales price.

Combining ABM and intent data helps expand your prospect list, identify at-risk customers, and convert leads effectively. This strategic approach boosts sales and ensures long-term success.

Make Intent Data Your Go-to Source

To improve your marketing and sales efforts, prioritize intent data as your main source of information. Look for a reliable provider that offers valuable insights to help you make smarter decisions. By understanding the intentions of your potential customers, you can engage with the right prospects and achieve better outcomes for your business. This allows you to concentrate on growing and expanding your business effectively.

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Table of contents

• Introduction
• What is Intent-based Data Marketing?
• Importance of Intent-based Data
• Real-World Use Cases
  1. Starbucks
  2. Amazon
  3. Netflix
  4. TripAdvisor
• Conclusion

Introduction

Success in any business hinges on sales conversion. To attain this crucial objective, B2B marketers harness the power of intent data to fuel their marketing activities and gain deeper insights into the behaviors of their target audience.

Research indicates that 70% of business-to-business marketers utilizing intent data deem their digital marketing approach highly effective.

This blog will spotlight real-world case studies, illustrating how companies have successfully integrated intent-based data into their marketing strategies.

What is Intent-based Data Marketing?

Intent-based data marketing involves leveraging data gathered throughout a B2B customer’s journey to identify and understand their purchasing intent. To illustrate, consider a software company offering cybersecurity solutions. If a business executive starts researching cybersecurity trends, visits the company’s website, and downloads a whitepaper on threat detection, the intent data collected provides valuable insights. It reveals not only the specific topics the customer is interested in but also signals a potential interest in upgrading their cybersecurity measures.

This data enables the marketing team to tailor targeted strategies, such as offering relevant content or personalized product demonstrations, aligning closely with the customer’s demonstrated intent, and enhancing the overall effectiveness of the marketing approach.

Importance of Intent-based Data

When you get a good idea of what your customer wants, you can produce tailor-made communication that can be useful and relevant. Around 71% of customers expect personalized offers and customer experiences when they visit your website. So, with the help of intent-based marketing, B2B marketers can target each customer with the right message at the right time to create more conversions.

Real-World Use Cases

Fewer companies can understand the true worth of intent-based data. Hence, through the below real-world instances, we present the idea that collaborative efforts between sales and marketing teams often result in successful sales conversions.

1. Starbucks

The Starbucks app uses intent-based data to suggest drinks for their users based on their previous orders. The app tracks the time, day, and location and monitors coffee habits to provide personalized recommendations. This not only enhances customer convenience but also fosters loyalty to the Starbucks brand.

2. Amazon

Similarly, Amazon employs a recommendation engine on its platform, utilizing browsing and purchase history to provide users with tailored product suggestions, streamlining the shopping experience.

3. Netflix

Netflix utilizes a sophisticated recommendation engine that analyzes users’ viewing habits, preferences, and genre preferences to offer personalized movie and series recommendations.

4. TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is a master in intent-based data marketing, guiding users through its marketing funnel and delivering reviews and recommendations aligned with their travel preferences and intent.

Conclusion

Intent data has become an important marketing tool for every B2B company as it helps the sales and marketing teams make early decisions and increases the depth of the data field. The strategic use of intent data not only increases data accuracy but also has the potential to significantly supercharge your revenue with data accuracy.

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Understanding the characteristics of high-intent leads, and identifying and targeting them using data insights