The pressures of today's B2B sales landscape are vast.
There are longer sales cycles, an increased number of stakeholders (6-10 people are now involved in the B2B buying process), greater appetite to conduct primary research from over 65% of B2B buyers, and even a new generation of B2B buyers as Gen Z steps up.
No wonder roughly half of all B2B deals dissolve due to lack of consensus.
Ut among all of the complexities for B2B marketers, there's a larger threat: the hidden buyer.
Although hidden buyers tend not to generate marketing intent signals, the B2B hidden buyer holds significant purchasing power.
Tequia Burt explains in a LinkedIn blog post: "The Hidden Buyer is a highly influential decision-maker in the B2B buying group—often from procurement, finance, or legal—who plays a key role in approvals but remains invisible to most marketing efforts because they don't engage with ads, content or intent signals. Despite their low visibility, they are often the gatekeepers of trust and risk."
Getting the Seal of Approval From the Hidden Buyer
Research has found that B2B hidden buyers have almost equal decision-making influence as target buyers: 49% vs. 51%, respectively.
The final seal of approval can ultimately come from any personnel directly or indirectly tied to the organization, so marketing and PR professionals need to sharpen their prospect lists and showcase their brand value.
Here are five key steps to get to know the influential but invisible buyer—and ensure PR campaigns have the wide-reaching impact to already have them on-side when the sales cycle is closing.
1. Brand-building is not a one-stop shop
Hidden buyers are much more influenced by brands than target buyers, and they are 70% more likely to reject brands that are not well-known to others and 31% more likely to reject brands that they themselves don't know.
Brand-building, PR, and content marketing campaigns are complex and require thought leadership strategies. When prospects are aware of the brand, pressure rises to prove market value. Prospects want brands to know their pain points and to help alleviate them, not just acknowledge them.
It's up to marketing and PR pros to demonstrate expertise and establish the company as a thought leader. That is where the power of executive profiling can showcase strength in depth in a key technology, market, or industry.
2. Let content speak to the many, not just the few
A recent analysis on buying group gridlock discovered when the size of the decision-making team moved beyond five, the likelihood of completing a deal dropped sharply, from 53% to 31%.
It is here where content needs to step up, because B2B stakeholders (and their hidden peers) are increasingly conducting research before purchasing.
A significant variable when pitching to prospective buyers is that their makeup can vary from Gen Z to Boomer, influencer to user, investor to buyer with different interests, priorities, and opinions. So, it's important to craft content that is durable, credible, high-quality, and can appeal to a wide audience—including the ones you are unaware of.
3. Proof over promises—buyers want to hear about the real-life use cases
Brands need for the full range of decision-makers, including the hidden buyer, to recognize them and ideally associate them with a level of quality and trust. The target of all your carefully crafted messages is still human, with their own unique thoughts when making a multimillion-dollar investment in a B2B product or service.
Here, case studies can play a huge role in building trust and credibility. Real-life use-case success stories of how a company overcame a specific industry problem or achieved exceptional results could be the tipping point to seal the decision from a hidden buyer who wasn't aware of your consumer credentials.
4. Don't fall victim to memory corrosion
Following brand-building in the mind of a prospect, the task shifts to memory recall and remaining relevant over long-term sales cycles.
In advertising, corroding memories mean lost sales. It's about the 95-5 rule: 95% of buyers aren't ready to buy today and may not be for some time in the B2B sales cycle. Most buyers are future buyers—and future buyers are the source of future cash flows.
Credible and varied content stacks that communicate clear messaging help sustain brand relevancy. That is why campaigns must be planned on a yearly basis, with multiple content stacks creating a blend of carefully curated messaging, communicated to prospects via a variety of platforms, in targeted industry segments. That's where quantity and quality will ensure a brand is fresh in the buyer's mind and the Google search.
5. Avoid falling at the last hurdle
Now that you've got a hidden buyer interested, what comes next?
According to a recent report, there are four often unexpected B2B sales techniques that can solidify the deal:
- Win the room, not just the buyer. Maintaining a focus on selling to the team that's going to actually be using the product or solution can go a long way toward convincing the organization's buyers. Building brand advocacy through networking and establishing a rapport will be greatly beneficial here, especially when 66.2% of buyers find value in discussing proposals with salespeople, showing they prefer another opinion.
- Use the power of transparency. Marketing and PR experts should push for an optimized journey of approval. Include the whole package in your initial outreach, then whittle features down to make potential buyers feel they are receiving a better deal.
- Win hearts, not just heads. Proposals should steer clear of statistic-studded strategies that could lead a buyer to switch off. Using the element of emotional appeal can not only prove brand value but also develop a stronger long-term connection with the buyer as a potential client.
- Don't let a product speak for itself. B2B buyers seek context and a clear understanding of the benefits valuable to them. So look to tell the product's story, place it in its most favorable context, and create hype around it, emphasizing the unique selling proposition.
Subverting expectations in a way that emphasizes company strengths can be the key to driving up conversion rates and preventing the sales cycle from spinning its wheels.
Buyer Insights Are the Gateway to Future B2B Sales Opportunities
It's true that securing a prospect may involve a lengthy time cycle. Ultimately it relies on nurturing prospective stakeholders and demonstrating how a brand can add real value to their business.
The hidden buyer needs to remain a key consideration when campaigning a new product or solution to optimize buy-in opportunity. So remember, the key to unlocking their seal of approval relies on building a credible, trustworthy brand that can speak for itself—no matter the position of the buyer at the other end.
