Enhancing the Buyer’s Journey With CPQ
Every purchase your B2B customers make will impact their ROI, business processes, employees, and end users. Understandably, buyers need information and time for consideration before making their decision. But what if there was a way for you to map out the buyers’ decision-making process and improve the experience to increase sales?
The buyer’s journey is a sales funnel experienced from the prospect’s point of view. It outlines all of the interactions and decisions that occur after identifying a problem, researching for a solution, and making the final purchase.
As a specialty manufacturer, when you understand how your buyers make purchasing decisions, you’re in a position to increase your sales — as long as you act on the insight.
The Elements of the Buyer’s Journey
Here are the questions you should be asking to accurately map out your buyer’s journey:
What brought your customer to you
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What problems are they running into that prompted them to seek a solution? -
How important is it for them to solve this problem? -
What’s at stake if they ignore it?
The length of the journey
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How quickly do they need to make a purchase? -
How important is the purchase? -
How long does it take to make a decision after researching solutions?
The potential issues that could make or break the experience
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How well do buyers understand the nuances of their problem? -
How well do buyers understand possible solutions? -
Do buyers have a realistic understanding of pricing? -
Are competitors conveying inaccurate or misleading information about solutions? -
Are your solutions customizable or suited to solve their problems?
The problems you have in your current buyer’s journey
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How clearly do you address the buyers’ problems? -
How effectively do you educate buyers about your solutions? -
How well do you differentiate your solutions from competitors? -
Does your sales process create friction or unnecessary complication? -
How effectively do you meet the needs of your buyers?
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Understanding Your Buyers
In addition to mapping out the buyer’s journey, it’s important to understand who your buyers are so you can better meet their needs. Here’s what to keep in mind:
The buyer persona
The “identity” of your ideal buyer. Knowing who they are will help you shape the way you communicate through marketing and during the sales process. The buyer’s persona encompasses:
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Personal information -
Level of education -
Role at company
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Size of their business -
Common problems and challenges -
Internet search habits
Key stakeholders
Stakeholders are the people at your buyer’s company who ultimately make the purchasing decision. Often, they never speak with anyone at your company, so the challenge is to impress them through sales material and buy-in from your sales teams’ direct contacts.
Buyer expectations
Based on the current market landscape, buyers are likely to expect:
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A digital sales experience -
Product customization and configurability
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Fast quote times -
Convenient online ordering(somewhat like B2C e-commerce)
Upgrading the Buyer’s Journey With CPQ
With so much competition in the specialty manufacturing industry, improving convenience and speeding up the sales process will help convert more casual browsers into repeat customers. Unfortunately, the traditional methods for configuring custom orders can be anything but quick and convenient. That’s where Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software comes in.
The buyer’s journey with CPQ allows you to select and configure products using a robust online portal to generate their own quotes, transforming the drawn-out sales process into an enjoyable experience similar to shopping online. Manufacturers can program complex configuration rules into the portal that pr event customers from building nonviable products and placing an incorrect order. The streamlined workflow both improves accuracy and speeds up the time to quote.
Want to experience how CPQ can transform your buyer’s journey? Scheduled a demo of Configure One Cloud from Revalize.