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Market Smart: How to Gain Customers and Increase Profits with B2B Marketing

- Buyer Characteristics: What industry are they in? What
kind of organization? What is their role (job title)?
How long have they been in that role? What are their
responsibilities?

- Decision-Making Process: Who’s involved in making
the purchase decision? Who has the power to say
yes or no? When was the last purchase of this kind
made? How was it made and why was a certain vendor
chosen?

- Decision Criteria: What are the buyer’s priorities? What
formal or informal criteria do they have for evaluating
the purchase? Is there a strict structure to the criteria
or a loose framework? Are there set budgets in place?

- Timeline: Are purchases made on a regular basis? At
what point in the business cycle does demand exist?
How long is the purchase process?

- Learning and Influences: How do they keep up with
the industry? What trade publications do they read,
what industry associations do they belong to, what
trade shows do they go to? Do they attend lunch
and learns? Webinars? Do they read white papers?
E-newsletters?

Step Two—Start with what you already know

You can complete this step at the same time as the workshop
for the company assessment.

There is a tremendous amount of customer knowledge within
your own company. In a workshop or individual interviews
ask the sales team, customer service representatives, and
management what they know or suspect. Get answers to the
questions you identified in Step One. Not everyone will know
everything, and they may be uncertain about particular topics,

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© 2012 Lisa Shepherd