Improving B2B Buying Cycles with Lessons From Tropical Fish Keeping

Big Fish in B2B buying cyclesOne of my passions outside of writing marketing copy for software and technology and other B2B companies is keeping tropical fish, especially the Discus.

The other day I was thinking about what keeping tropical fish such as the Discus can remind us about B2B buying cycles.

Keep Your Eye on Them and What They’re Telling You

When you keep fish that require greater care, you see how they are like B2B software and technology buyers.

If you want to grow bigger fish (customers) and keep more of them alive and well, you need to watch for any tell-tale signs of unhappiness or even ways to make their world better.

The same can be said for your customers. Listening for what sales author Jill Konrath calls trigger events, can reveal other sales opportunities to solve their business problems. Maybe the features in their current software is making their team unproductive with redundant tasks.

If you hear something like this and you know your software can solve the problem, why not pass what you’ve learned along to Sales, so they can show your customer there is a better way.

Feed them the Right Food (Content)

Staying with the Discus example above, we know they are carnivores. If you try to feed them a plant-rich diet, they won’t get the nutrients they need, or even consume any of it.

The same can be said for your customers.

Your customers will need the right content for the right time in their buying cycle. If not it will be as irrelevant to them as feeding them the wrong food.
If you need to prove to your customers that they’re using the wrong product for their needs, a white paper may just be the content to convince them to make the switch.

To Get Bigger Fish (Customers), Take Care of Them – and their B2B Buying Cycles

Tropical fish such as Discus are like your customers in another specific way.

I’ve found that just as keeping as close to pristine water conditions for my fish makes them healthy and happy, the same can be said about your customers.
If you let them go for months and months without keeping in touch with them – or nurturing them – you will find that your customers will eventually be gone.

Gobbled up by your competition.

Instead, you can keep in touch with your customers with an email marketing series to let them know about upcoming promotions or give them unexpected advice.
Besides, customers that are treated well tell their friends anyway. And the ROI on a word of mouth or referral is incredible.

What are your thoughts on the buying cycle?

Go ahead, drop a comment below if you like.

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