Viewing B2B in 3D

In the B2B space, developing customer insight is not a simple proposition, says Andy Hasselwander in a recent post at B2B Marketing Confidential. The reason itself is simple: "Companies are a lot more complex than individuals or households."

"A good way to start simplifying the customer-insight question in B2B," he advises, "is to focus on three key dimensions":

The Product Dimension. Identify the products being bought by the companies you most want to serve. Example: Which companies use a tool similar to one that you sell? "What types of industries would need this tool? If the tool is very expensive, is there a lower bound on company size?"

The Audience Dimension. "[C]reate a contact strategy that hits each audience with the selling points that make the most impact—[such as the] price on the buyer, value on the CFO," he advises. Example: "Are there key influencers to the purchase, the actual users of this tool?"

The Channel Dimension. Determine the best channels through which marketing and sales should be executed. Example: "Do buyers and influencers read a specific type of publication? … Are there influential communities that they listen to that [you] need to plug into? Are there key distributors that must carry the product for it to penetrate the market?"

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