Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing is tough. Most businesses are looking to make money, not spend more. That means that traditional marketing methods may not work, but what B2B prospects will always respond to is value.

Value can come in many forms, but it always comes down to this: solving a problem. If a product or service fills a gap in what could otherwise be a perfect situation, then it has value. What sets B2B customers apart is that as they are looking to solve a problem for themselves, they may also be looking out for their own customers. That is because the more problems you solve and the better you do it, the more it gives businesses an edge against their competition.

Due to years of advancements in behavioral psychology, marketers like Mark Eardley now have narrowed down the dialogue on buying and selling a product or service into five distinct areas. In this article, we discuss these areas and break them down into what’s useful in the B2B industry.

Response

It is the knowledge that someone understands your problem and knows the solution. The challenge with B2B customers is that sometimes they can’t articulate what they really need. They may have a clear picture of the end-goal but may not have the expertise to determine the specific problems that need their attention.

That is why, you need to be able to analyze a situation correctly, measure its impact, and implement improvements appropriately. Your response becomes very valuable if you can communicate your expertise in a situation clearly and convey that you can solve it.

Service

To create value with service, you must spell out in no-nonsense terms the details of your solution, and eliminate any perceived risk that will affect the business. Your service will be particularly valuable if its implementation solves an issue sufficiently and contributes to the overall success of the brand.

Quality

B2B customers are notoriously keen about quality, and you will need to convince them that your product or service is the best in its class. It is easy to throw everything into the product or service, but you should also emphasize the processes that went into creating your product or service. This can include research and development, product testing, market research, and so on. All of this brings value to your business and demonstrates quality.

Time

Because B2B customers are looking to make money, you must also be able to demonstrate a calculated return on investment (ROI) in the shortest amount of time. Your product or service should also have a sensible learning curve to minimize possible disruption.

Price

Your price should always be competitive, but in the B2B arena, this should not matter as much as if you were working in the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) market. In a conversation about selling a product or service, price should be discussed last. Discussing price first is a strategy that will lead you downhill in B2B. Your price should be justifiable by the other four areas so that the customer can appreciate the value of what you’re trying to sell.

Conclusion

B2B marketing may be tough, but it’s not uncrackable. Like any other form of marketing, you just need to emphasize the value that you are bringing to the table. Once you have determined that value, then comes the process of demonstrating it. Price should come dead last. Particularly in B2B, effective sales conversations should start with building value first, not price.

We understand that it can be difficult to communicate value in every sales conversation, so we’ve created an ebook on value that you can download HERE.

We’d love to help you discover the unique value your company provides and communicate it clearly to your prospects. Contact us today to get started.