I read a recent Gartner report that proposed the new role for B2B sales teams was “sense-making”. Their research indicated 44% of millennials did not want to interact with a sales rep at any phase of their B2B buyer’s journey. That means B2B sales pros must reinvent their role. Gartner proposed their best way to service prospects was to make sense of all the content we marketers have been producing for years now.
This is an interesting concept for sure. But shouldn’t we marketers be helping to make sense throughout the buyer’s journey as well? We already know B2B buying has gotten more complex, requiring more research and often involving more people on buying teams. So instead of writing another blog – I say while writing another blog! – or creating another explainer video, consider creating content to make sense of all the content you and your competitors have already given to the world. Assets like:
• Comparison Charts – B2B software companies use the “Us vs two of our competitors” checklists all the time to compare features. How can you incorporate something similar to help make sense of your offerings versus others?
• Glossaries and Industry-opedias – What may be common terms to you may well be gibberish to buyers, especially newbies in your world. Be a hero and make sense of all those acronyms and technical terms. (Bonus: These can rank well for SEO.)
• Conversational Audio/Video – Ask your favorite guru to talk to a camera as if they are talking to a prospect. We affectionately dubbed a partner at our accounting client Professor Snodgrass because Karen can quickly make sense of complex tax law regulations and changes. Something about her calm demeanor when making sense of how my taxes will change (again!) reassures me in a way no written blog does.
Gartner’s message for sales pros was clear: If you want to be a welcome addition to the buyer’s journey, you must stop selling and start sense-making. We say the same holds true for us marketers.