Ponder While You Purchase

What B2B brands can learn from B2C buying.

We are full-on Christmas now. Even my Amazon Prime Music account is pushing the holiday at me, to say nothing of the emails, commercials, and Facebook posts. 

As you click the "Purchase" buttons or hand over your plastic, ask yourself questions like these: 

• What drove you to make this purchase? Cost? Convenience? A connection with the brand? 
• If there was a connection, what was it exactly? What did you feel? Was the connection relative to the brand’s competitors (e.g., I’m buying LG because I will never buy Samsung) or was it only about the chosen brand? 
• What is it about the brand, not its products, features, or functionality, that is relevantly and competitively differentiated from your other choices? 
• If the brand you chose didn’t exist, what would be your second choice? Would you be relieved, resentful, or indifferent? 

Even if you're a B2B company think about how your customers would answer those questions. More importantly, think about what you are doing to influence the answers. 

• On what are you relying to make the sale? Price? Features? Convenience? Does the answer synch with how you position your overall brand? Is it the best for your long-term business strategy? 
• What do you want your customers to feel when they sign that contract, authorize that purchase, or attend your conference? How do you connect with them in a way that is relevant and competitively differentiated from their other choices? 
• Where would your customers go if you didn’t exist and how would they decide? Cost? Convenience? A connection? How would they feel? Disappointed? Indifferent? 

If you don’t know the answers to those questions, that’s fine. You’re not alone. But when you need help answering them, let us know. We’ll bring the egg nog.