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How to Influence the B2B Decision Making Process

Hint: It starts with asking these 5 questions

You need to be at the right place, at the right time, and with the right message in order to influence the B2B decision making process. There’s no secret sauce, formula or one-size-fits-all solution, but with today’s heightened media noise, you can’t afford to guess until you get it right. So then what?

If you’re lucky, there may be an industry report that sheds some light on what your audience cares about and where they go for information. But if you run a niche operation, then you’re left to your own devices to figure out. The most cost effective option is to survey your existing clients if they represent who you’re trying to target; you should get a high response rate given the established relationship. The other option is to deploy an external market survey. This normally comes with a longer timeline and higher price tag for the platform, completion incentive or pay-per-response fee structure, and/or research vendor.

Once you decide on a survey approach, the key is asking the right questions that will provide valuable data to drive strategic content creation and media placement. Below are five widely applicable B2B sample questions that, with a little customization, will get you started in the right direction.

When initially researching a <insert product or service> provider, where do you start searching for information? Select all that apply.

  • Web search (e.g. Google or Bing)
  • Review site(s) (Conditional: Which?)
  • Online industry publication(s) (Conditional: Which?)
  • Print industry publication(s) (Conditional: Which?)
  • Trade show(s) (Conditional: Which?)
  • Consult colleagues or peers in the industry
  • Other ___ (must fill in)

When initially researching a <insert product or service> provider, what types of online resources do you use?

  • Case study
  • White paper
  • Video
  • Infographic
  • Blog posts / articles
  • Other ___ (must fill in)
  • I don’t use online resources

When making a purchasing decision, please rank the online resources you find helpful (1 = most helpful, 6 = least helpful)

  • Case study
  • White paper
  • Video
  • Infographic
  • Blog posts / articles
  • 3rd party validation / objective comparison data
  • Other ___ (must fill in)

Rank the below factors based on importance when selecting a <insert type of vendor> vendor? (1 = most important, 11 = least important)

  • Cost
  • Degree to which product/service meets needs
  • Implementation timeline (how quickly can get running)
  • Awareness (have heard of the brand/company before)
  • Support during decision making process
  • Support during implementation process
  • Post-purchase support
  • Thought leadership / industry expert
  • Past successes with similar work
  • All-in-one vendor
  • Other ___ (must fill in)

What topics are most interesting to you?

  • <Insert 3 – 5 separate options based on business>
  • Other ___ (must fill in)

Your business is unique, and so is the way in which your audience approaches decision making. Honor this reality by going straight to the source and asking the right questions before investing your dollars.

 

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