The information age has made things that were previously cumbersome easy. It is easy to get information. It is easy to find out how things work. It is easy to buy.
This has shifted the leverage between buyers and sellers. Previously, buyers relied on expert salespeople to provide information about the sophisticated products and services they offered. The salesperson had value from the perspective of providing the necessary information and acting as a concierge to the buyer in their process of evaluation and decision making to solve their problem.
Today, the buyer has this information available. In fact, they have an overwhelming amount of it. They can Google anything they are seeking and they keep informed by an array of blogs, tweets and their networks. They can assess your site and your competitors rather quickly. The buyer is reluctant to speak with you until they are ready. Readiness comes from either immense pain an emotional milestone to engage. Before this, they are gathering information, learning about you and coming to their own assessments and conclusions whether they want to engage.
Because you do not have the liberty to engage, you must have systems which go beyond a mere website that acts as a brochure. Brochures are boring. Websites are boring. You must deliver the right information at the right time with the right impact as part of a process. It must be personal, relevant and timely. It must be automated. The reason is:
- You do not have permission to call
- The buyer does not want to be interrupted
- The buyer wants to feel comfortable
- The buyer wants to know who you are
- The buyer wants to trust you
All of this is the reality of today’s buying process. From your first impression to the first reaching out by the prospective buyer, the buyer is unseen. Yet, they want information to build a case for doing business with you (and not someone else).
To meet this demand, you must have the systems which nurtures your prospects according to their buying process. This is where marketing automation delivers and connects with the customer. Marketing automation creates the awareness, education and connection with the unseen buyer and nurtures them in the buying process. When this is done effectively, your sales process becomes both fluid and effective.
Think about the unseen buyer and how they are assessing you far before you have an actual conversation. To connect requires marketing automation and marketing strategy.
