How do you use Martech to build buyer confidence?

As B2B buyer options and seller solutions become ever more complex, it’s not other businesses, products or solutions in the marketplace that are a seller’s biggest competitor, it’s their buyer’s lack of confidence in their decision-making. This is according to Gartner’s Sales and Marketing guru Brent Adamson, and it’s only getting worse.

In this blog we are going to show you how integrating Martech, or digital sales enablement technology, into your sales strategy and processes can help your sales teams to reassure their customers. By easily identifying your customer’s needs, having more collaborative sales conversations and demonstrating the value of your solution, product or service your sales team can become sensemaking sellers and build buyer confidence.

The state of sales – confused buyers don’t buy 

We know that the number of people in a buying group is growing, according to Gartner (again), it can involve 6 to 10 decision makers, all with competing needs and perspectives. This puts more pressure on each of them to make the right decision or risk being culpable for an expensive mistake.

In addition, many buyers would have done their own extensive research before they even meet a sales rep. Research by B2B Marketing, shows that before making a detailed supplier evaluation 79% of buyers are already aware of at least three potential suppliers, and 86% already have a preference.

But, far from making them more confident about their decisions, the myriad of information available may still be incomplete, or create more questions and thereby serves to create more confusion and inertia. Confused buyers don’t buy.

So how do you empower buyers in their decision-making?

In those initial meetings, between the sales rep and the buyer, it’s crucial to create a consultative sales environment that supports the buyer, helps them to question and analyse their needs and focuses their thinking.

Digital sales tools make it easier for customers throughout their decision-making process. The buyer and seller have a single digital sales hub that connects them to all their valuable information across all customer touchpoints – on a laptop at face-to-face or remote meetings, on a tablet off-site (and off-line) or a touchscreen at an event.

A data driven sales experience that tracks and analyses every interaction, automatically updating Customer Relationship Management systems (CRM) to provide up to the minute actionable insights. Creating an integrated, omnichannel sales experience for the buyer.

Read on to discover the five main benefits of integrating a digital sales enablement tool into your sales strategy to boost your buyer’s confidence:

1. Demonstrating the value that you offer 
2. Clarity and speed of information – a single source of truth
3. Simplifying the complex
4. Personalisation for consultative selling
5. Keep your buyers close

1. Demonstrating the value that you offer

This is the first step, ensuring the buyer understands the value they will get from you. But this isn’t always that easy, as many buyers aren’t aware of, or can’t articulate exactly what they need.

This is easier to uncover through consultative selling. A naturally evolving conversation led by your sales rep to discover your customer’s pain points, supported by easily accessible tailored information and examples to demonstrate the value your product or solution can provide.  When you are able to demonstrate, clearly articulate and tailor your sales conversation the buyer is more confident that you understand their business and their needs. 

2. Clarity and speed of information – a single source of truth

A robust content management system allows reps to instantly access any information they and the buyer needs in the moment. They can be confident that all content is current and relevant with consistent messaging whether it be live data, video, interactive content, insights, or compliance information – there’s no excuse if the buyer needs to see something to reassure themselves then it must be available when they want it.

3. Simplifying the complex

This is no time for ambiguity or information overload, this will only add to the buyers uncertainty. The rep must cut through noise and create an environment of simple, clear and concise conversations. Similarly, the content shared should be relevant and succinct, visually articulating where value lies to create an inspiring, memorable and convincing experience.  

4. Personalisation for consultative selling

Everything must be directly relevant to the buyer. If the rep’s dealing with ten different people from different departments, they must be able to address each person’s needs and concerns directly, as well as those of the wider business and its operational sectors. This level of personalisation is crucial in order to establish and maintain the buyer’s confidence that the solution that you are offering is the right one for them!   

5. Keep your buyers close

Once a rep has helped the buyer to get clarity and confidence over their decisions, they don’t want to lose them in the time it takes to conclude a deal. This is where the sales experience could feature a virtual digital sales room to give buyers anytime access to all the valuable, personalised content they’ve been discussing. A place they can share content amongst the wider team, have conversations and ask questions about the solution and ultimately help build consensus.

In summary

Instilling confidence in buyers is no small feat. It requires a sales rep to not only be able to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of their own business and solutions, but also have enough information to hand to probe and analyse their prospect’s business challenges and offer a tailored and considered solution in the moment. Digital sales tools allow sales reps to generate trust with stunning visual storytelling and immediate access to relevant information for effective consultative selling.

Next steps

At POP we develop interactive sales experiences that deliver on business objectives and create more opportunity for your sales teams to work consultatively with their customers, differentiate themselves and sell effectively. To find out more about the first steps in the process, read our recent blog about our Customer-First Blueprint®.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how we have helped our clients, including Syntegon, Wienerberger, Bacardi and Coloplast to do this.

We’d love to talk you through our approach, chat through any sales challenges you are facing or perhaps you have a project in mind or just want to find out more.

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