Your B2B customers are The Transformers – Are you G.I Joe?

Not companies buy but the people in the companies: the people can be managers, directors or CxO’s.

Transforming from consumer to business to consumer again

All these rational business people start out the day as consumers and when they get into the office they transform into a business buyer or decision taker.
At the end of the working day when they go home they become consumers again.

The transformation from Retail (B2C) to Business (B2B) to Retail (B2C) again and still they are not schizophrenic.

As only a few people in companies are decision makers, decision takers and influencers, most people stay consumers the whole day. The Transformers are the minority in the total population of the consumers.

The Transformers buy upon impulse, feelings and sentiment making subjective and even passionate decisions in their consumer life, whereas during their business hours they are expected to make objective and rational decisions. This is probably not the case as their decision taking will still be largely influenced by feelings and sentiments.

Transforming from Interruptive Marketing to Inquisitive Marketing

Interruptive marketing = outbound
Since ever marketing has been using interruptive communication methods to create interest, to drive customers to buy products or to visit the website. Interruptive marketing is the process of interrupting potential customers by email marketing campaigns, direct mailings, print advertising or online advertising.
Over the years customers have build up an immunity or ignorance for marketing messages: the pushier the ad, email or cold call, the less likely to follow-up.
People have developed sensors for not accepting or believing these ad messages anymore.

Inquisitive Marketing= inbound
At the same time the people have developed skills to search solutions on the Internet helped by the search engines that have gotten more sophisticated over the years.

The potential customer has transformed from being pushed by outbound marketing and advertising, to the customer who will search and inquire for information to solve the problems he has encountered: Inbound Marketing.

Just like the consumer is changing from undergoing Interruptive marketing to Inquisitive marketing, the Transformers are also changing from being influenced by the typical Interruption Marketing to the Inquisitive Marketing.
In this case the potential customer will be retrieving information and advices from several different online sources: mainly the Internet as this is a easiest channel and open 24 x 7.
In order to drive Inquisitive Marketing, you need to keep feeding the communication channels with new content.

Still these customers can become susceptive again at a certain moment of time and become sensitive to the old fashioned interruptive marketing by the suiting email marketing or for that moment appropriate advertising.

Knowing is half the battle

As G.I. Joe said: “…and knowing is half the battle,”.
You should know if your potential customer is susceptive for Interruptive or Inquisitive Marketing.
Therefore you need to identify precisely your potential customer by company name.
Inform about his interests in solutions.
Are you G.I. Joe (The Salesman) in a battle with The Transformers (The Customers)?

Do you know?
- How rational or subjective the decisions of your customers are?
- If they are into inquisition marketing or susceptive to interruption marketing?
Find out if you don’t know. You will need it.

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