Buying Decision: Different States of the B2B Buying Decision Process
Buying Decision: 4 distinctively different states of the B2B buying decision process
Buying Decision: By Bob Apollo on Tue, Jun 26, 2012
Iâve written before about the Buyerâs Journey, and about the stages that your b2b prospects go through in their buying decision process. That journey is rarely linear: your prospects can decide to move forward in their decision making process, stay where they are, go backwards or abandon the journey. Understanding where your prospects are in the journey and determining what tactics you should use at each stage are fundamental to the success of any B2B sale.
But in this article, Iâd like to focus on another concept – one that is directly complementary to your understanding of the stages of the journey – and thatâs the idea that B2B buying decision processes typically occupy one of 4 states at any one point in time. These states are defined by two axes: whether or not your prospect has a clear vision of where they want to get to, and whether or not they have a clear idea of how they are going to get there.
These 4 states:
- Know where and how
- Know where but not how
- Know how but not where
- Know neither where nor how
Are likely to result in dramatically different behaviours as they conduct their search for a solution, and I want to highlight some of the implications – and hopefully give you some food for thought – in the remainder of this article.
Painting by numbers
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To Discuss how these Solutions will add value for you, your organization and/or your clients, Affinity/Resale Opportunities, and/or Collaborative Efforts, Please Contact:
Tom McDonald, tsm@centurytel.net; 608-788-5144; Skype: tsmw5752
