We’ve seen global B2B companies leave tens of millions of dollars on the table due to legacy client communication strategies, which just aren’t as effective as they used to be. We explore how businesses redefine their strategy and use it to stay ahead of the competition. The key word here is creativity.
As digital transformation and data analytics continue to reshape the business world, client engagement is taking on a new meaning. Buyers are fed up with vanilla sales and marketing methods, they want experiences and inclusivity – in the sense of involving more members of the business in communications.
According to a recent study by Salesforce, 88% of customers now consider their experience with a company to be as important as its products or services. This shift in customer expectations means that companies must focus on building long-term relationships with their clients, up-selling and cross-selling – rather than just working as a body shop.
Through our work we’ve found that many buyers favour the consultative approach, where they’re informed and advised on the product or service they are buying.The issue with this is that sales teams aren’t incentivised to have conversations beyond their brief or taught how to ask the right questions of their customers.
To redefine client engagement, you must prioritise personalised interactions and anticipate the needs of your clients – you can only do this by listening. It’s time to scrap the idea of rigid B2B funnels where all of a client’s needs fit into one neat box. Instead we must think more creatively and inclusively.
Many B2B decision-makers prefer to receive information through articles and other types of informative content, rather than a simple LinkedIn ad or sales email. By creating custom content that speaks directly to the pain points and needs of your clients, you can build trust and credibility. One way to do this is by sending monthly or quarterly newsletters to your email nurture list, this way you can keep past and prospective clients informed about market trends, keep them engaged with your events and upsell.
But you must also recognise that personalised interactions are not enough on their own. Seamless and omnichannel experiences across all touchpoints, whether online or in-person are key. In fact, a report by McKinsey found that 8 in 10 B2B decision makers believe omni-channel is as, if not more effective than traditional methods.
Companies must build stronger relationships with their clients, increase loyalty, and ultimately commercial performance – but this can only be achieved once we have redefined what client engagement looks like. Inspire your teams to think more creatively and inclusively so that they can ask the right questions and provide experiences for your clients.
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If you’d like help redefining your current client engagement strategy, get in touch with a member of the team.
