Doesn't it seem that the buying process has become more complicated than ever before?
There were once two people involved: the sales rep and the prospect. But now, many more stakeholders are involved in a B2B deal, each with different levels of knowledge, time commitments, problems, and frustrations.
The sales rep is still a key player in the process, but they no longer have sole control over it. To make it even worse, there are more options than ever before, and they have access to information that allows them to make informed decisions even before engaging with the seller.
It demands a two-pronged strategy that combines marketing with education that allows your users to make informed decisions about your product.
This is where buyer enablement comes in. It helps you bridge the gap between what your buyers need and what you offer.
In this article, you will get all the information about buyer enablement, including the steps to get started and the best practices to get maximum from it.
Let's dive in.
What is Buyer Enablement?
Buyer enablement refers to the idea that salespeople are more successful when they give buyers the tools and knowledge needed to purchase your product.
In a nutshell, buyer enablement is a process of assisting your customers in making the right decision when purchasing your product/service.
This can include assisting the buyer in identifying gaps in their process and providing information on how your product can fill those gaps and how it will benefit them.
When a buyer knows all of the relevant information about your product, they will have a better understanding of how it can help them reach their goals. This, in turn, leads to more sales and happier customers.
Importance of Buyer Enablement
The way consumers shop and make purchasing decisions has changed over time. There are many options for consumers to research, compare products and services, and make purchases independently.
According to Gartner's research on B2B buyer behavior, buyers spend only 17% of their time meeting with potential suppliers when considering a purchase. This makes it even hard for the seller to influence the purchase decision.
That’s why buyer enablement is essential for sellers to ensure that their customers understand the value of their products or services and how they can help solve a problem.
Buyer enablement helps you stay ahead of the curve in the new world of consumerism by taking a step forward to educate your audience rather than telling them the features and benefits. Although sales teams may see the act of buyer enablement as a small detail, this step can significantly impact how successful these individuals are, as 87% of business buyers want sales representatives to understand their goals and act as trusted advisors.
Here is the importance of buyer enablement and how it can be used to drive sales,
- A buyer enablement program can help a sales team better understand their customers and how they can solve their problems. This will lead to more effective communication and improved relationships, which are essential for driving sales.
- By creating an environment where buyers feel empowered and valued (and not just “sold”), businesses can create loyal customers who will become advocates for their brand.
- If the customer feels that their needs are being met through your guidance, they are more likely to return and do business with you again. Hence it boosts customer retention.
- Buyer enablement can increase brand loyalty, creating a more positive experience for buyers. You can build trust and confidence in your brand by showing them how their needs will be met.
- Buyer enablement can help sales reps close more deals. When your prospects understand how your product helps them, they will be more receptive to your sales pitch and may be more likely to do business with you.
Buyer enablement is an ongoing process that requires constant attention and effort from your sales team. A strong buyer enablement program will help you to build relationships with your customers, increase sales, and ultimately grow your business.
Different ways to get started with Buyer Enablement
Buyer enablement can be an effective tool for sales reps to use in their day-to-day job. Here are some ways that you can get started with buyer enablement within your organization:
1. Understand your buyers.
Different buyers have different needs, and you need to know who your target audience is. Here are the four types of buyers to give you an idea of what you should be doing to help each type:
a) The analytical buyer:
- Analytical buyers are moved by data and appreciate the ability to compare offerings;
- They wish to avoid risk.
- They will not respond well if your pitch is aggressive or pushy.
Give these buyers the extra time and information they need to make an informed decision. Arm them with datasheets, proofs-of-concept, in-depth product demos—anything that will help them be confident in selecting your product or service.
b) The amiable buyer:
- Amiable buyers are moved by their personal relationships.
- They want to feel like they can trust you, so be genuine and friendly during your interactions with them.
- While they may be willing to meet with you, demo your product and discuss the benefits of working together—they are reluctant to take ownership of making a deal happen.
To encourage these buyers to act on your solution, build urgency around it by showcasing your thought leadership—either from the company itself or outside experts. This will make them feel more confident about making decisions and help push things along.
c) The expressive buyer:
- Expressive buyers tend to be enthusiastic and colorful.
- Expressives are often concerned with the well-being of others and tend to make decisions based on their emotions.
- They make decisions quickly and are not concerned with the nitty-gritty parts of your product.
You can capture and hold the attention of these buyers by keeping interactions brief, focused, and helpful. Ask them what they need to decide—and then deliver it.
d) The driver:
- Drivers are the most practical and logical of all buyers.
- They tend to be task-oriented, and they are often concerned with efficiency.
- This buyer tends to be a tough negotiator with many opinions.
Let this buyer know that you’re prepared to discuss a topic and have done the research. Drivers will not take the time to listen to lengthy explanations about how your product works. Instead, focus on what problem it solves and show them how it will improve their organization's performance.
To make drivers take action, use an interactive product demo that helps them to self-explore the value of your product. With Storylane's no code editor, you can build demos that help your buyers to make informed decisions. At the end of the day, that's what better buyer enablement is.
2. Unite your sales and marketing team.
While marketing and sales are responsible for driving revenue, they often work in silos. This can lead to a lack of alignment between the two departments, impacting the customer journey. You can move beyond a siloed approach by bringing the two teams together. This will help ensure that all your marketing activity adds value to the customer and their journey with your brand, as businesses with solid sales and marketing alignment are 67% more effective at closing deals.
Marketers need to understand the buying process, including what factors influence buyers as they make purchasing decisions, and this is where the sales team's role comes in.
To improve your buyer enablement, align your marketing team with the sales team to create a customer experience map that includes all touch points. Then create an action plan based on this map to measure how well it drives sales.
3. Create more content that empowers buyers.
When you start creating content that educates your user and simplifies the buying process, you’ll see an increase in sales. But it's essential to understand that buyer-enablement content is about using valuable, solution-oriented content to attract more potential buyers.
Some buyer enablement content includes,
- Case studies of successful customers who have used your product or service.
- Product overviews and how-to guides for end users.
- Whitepapers and ebooks that provide a deeper understanding of your product or service, as well as research and data that prove their value.
- Product demo that showcases the value of using your product or service.
Creating these kinds of content gives your potential buyers the tools they need to make a purchasing decision. And that's what buyer enablement content is all about: helping you build trust and credibility with your audience, so they feel confident in their purchase.
4. Enable your sales team.
While buyer enablement is more on educating your buyer and helping them in making informed buying decisions, this doesn’t mean that you want to leave your sales team out of the loop. In fact, it’s essential to ensure they are well-versed with your product information to educate your buyer. If your sales team cannot handle any questions or slips in communication, this can mean a lost sale.
In other words, sales enablement should be part of your buyer enablement program. When salespeople have the skills and knowledge to convince prospects that their products are worth investigating, they close more deals.
With Storylane, you can create customized product demos for different audience personas to educate your sales team about the ins and outs of the product. With solid product knowledge, your sales team can better serve your customers' needs and drive conversions.
Buyer Enablement Best Practices
Even though you have a solid buyer enablement strategy in place, you must continue refining it and making sure it’s helping you reach your goals. Here are some buyer enablement best practices to keep in mind:
1. Prioritize the needs of your buyers.
As buyer enablement revolves around the buyer, it’s essential to make sure you understand their needs and goals. This will help you understand where your buyers are in their buying journey and how you can use buyer enablement to help them move forward.
It’s also essential to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in your industry so that you can provide relevant information to your customers as they progress through their buying journey.
2. Guide your prospects don't sell your product.
Today's buyers rarely engage with salespeople without doing their research, so sellers need to focus more on guiding buyers through selection than educating them about products.
To be a trusted consultant to prospects, your salespeople must be prepared with the knowledge they need to provide each customer with a customized solution. You can arm your sales reps with the information they need by providing them with training, tools, and resources.
By thoroughly understanding their prospects and communicating with them at the appropriate stages of the buying process, sales reps are better able to build trust and guide prospects through that journey. This increases the chances of closing more sales.
3. Speak to buyer's language.
When you speak to your customers in their language, they can easily relate and feel more comfortable with what you have to say. Knowing the buyer’s perspective and how they view your products or services is essential for salespeople who want to increase their conversion rate.
By using their words and getting inside their heads, you can tailor your messaging so that it resonates with them emotionally rather than just logically.
4. Personalize your messages.
As you are guiding your buyers, it's important to use personalization. Otherwise, it will sound like a canned template they've heard a million times. Personalization can be as simple as using buyers' names or referring to your past conversations. In fact, 77% of consumers have chosen a brand that provides personalized service or experience over one that does not.
With Storylane, you can leave the personalization to automation, as it will auto-personalize the demo by pulling the data from your CRM. This allows your sales team to focus more on the conversation rather than creating a new demo every time they talk to a buyer.
5. Keep your content consistent.
To ensure that your buyer-enablement program is effective, you must provide consistent messages. While individual buyers may need information tailored to their particular roles and interests within the company, everyone should know what makes your brand unique and why they should choose it over competitors' products or services.
6. Educate your prospects in the right way.
The key to effective buyer enablement is providing relevant information that helps buyers make informed decisions. So, don't just tell them what they need to know; show them how it can be applied in their work lives and why it matters.
The best way to show how your product works are by creating a demo with which people can interact. Storylane makes it easy for you to create demos—you just capture pages of your existing website, edit them in our no-code editor and share them!
This makes it easy for your prospects to understand how your product works and how it solves their pain points. Moreover, your sales team can also track how your prospects are interacting with the demo with the analytics feature and customize their next steps accordingly.
7. Offer purchase decision affirmation.
While you may have convinced your buyer to try your product, they may still need a little extra push to make the purchase.
This can include customer reviews, testimonials from other buyers who've used your product or service successfully, and educational content about how to use your product effectively.
Enable your buyers and grow your business.
Now you got all the essential steps and best practices you need to enable your buyers. The next step is to grow your business by making sure you're providing the right content at each stage of the buyer's journey.
Remember, the key to buyer enablement is guiding them by explaining the why and not just the how. If you can demonstrate why your product is better and what value it brings to their business, your prospects are more likely to convert.
This is where the role of interactive product demos comes in. An interactive product demo is a great way to explain how your product works and why it's better than the competition. It allows you to showcase all of its features and how they work together in an integrated solution, and what value they bring to your buyer.
With Storylane, you can create and share interactive demos to give your prospects a first-hand experience of your product. Moreover, it helps you to create a custom demo for your sales rep to understand how your product works with the different use cases.
This will help your sales reps better educate your prospects, and they can handle objections more effectively. Moreover, they can deliver personalized demos every time with automation and measure how your prospects interact with your demo to tailor their further steps.
Want to know more about how can you guide your buyers with Storylane’s interactive product demos? Schedule a free demo and we will show you how.
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