5. PROSPECTSARE LISTENING
When considering a large business-to-business purchase, how valuable do you find the following sources
of information in determining which vendors you will include in a request for proposal (RFP) or product
pitch?*
Percent reporting the source is valuable:
Word of mouth from peers
Industry analyst reports
Private consultation with
analyst
Live events and conferences
86%
84%
83%
82%
*Blanc & Otus Survey from March 2015 #FlipMyFunnel
9. BUILD TRUSTWITH REAL USER
REVIEWS
User-generated content builds trust
Negative reviews are most viewed
Reviews drive customer interaction
#FlipMyFunnel
Keys to flipping the funnel by empowering your customers to engage with prospects at the right time. I will share with you actionable insights into how engagement between prospects and current customers will help drive “best fit” down your newly flipped funnel. Ultimately, empowering your customers to sell for you…….because the reality is they are already doing it whether you know it or not.
PROVIDE TRANSPARENCY
Sift through Vendor spend
2 year Outdated analyst report
Arduous RFP process
Still not confident in your vendor selection
48,000+ reviews
400k+ monthly unique software buyers/month
400+ categories
Bottom Line: Nakedness creates opportunity for customers, prospects, salespeople and brands. Customers have been in control for quite some time.
At the end of the day, if you are creating an open culture, a good product, setting proper expectations and providing good customer experience, then there is nothing to worry about. And yes, there will still be unhappy customers but listening to customer reviews you can engage with customers, uncover unexpected issues and that can lead to a new feature, product or tool that will keep you relevant and competitive. Brand lose relevancy once they stop listening.
Also, by allowing your customers to speak on your behalf, you have now eliminated the need for a reference call and/or the need for a reference call to save you when things go array. Frankly, most of the time you don’t even know the reference call has happened. By embracing transparency, you can now put your customers front and center in conversations.
Today, I will focus mostly on the ENGAGING portion of the funnel.
By having a review strategy, you are now engaging with prospects when they are getting ready to make an informed decision. You have likely identified the right targets and hopefully given them the beginning phases of the information they need to make the right decision. There really is no better way of engaging with prospects but when they are ready to listen to your message.
Today, I will focus mostly on the ENGAGING portion of the funnel.
By having a review strategy, you are now engaging with prospects when they are getting ready to make an informed decision. You have likely identified the right targets and hopefully given them the beginning phases of the information they need to make the right decision. There really is no better way of engaging with prospects but when they are ready to listen to your message.
Professionals trust their peers – now more than ever. And this is something that has been going on for years.
Think about it – what do people do when they are at conferences. They catch up with their old friends and colleagues, they catch up on the latest trends, who is doing it well, who isn’t and they talk about the products and services they use and those that work best.
Now the data is supporting what we already know. Word of mouth is the primary driver of both lead gen and deal closure for B2B tech vendors, and the influence of peer-to-peer word-of-mouth is growing. For the first time ever in B2B , word of mouth from peers is the most valuable resource over industry analysts. By no means am I saying that industry analysts aren’t important, as they do play a critical role in the selection process. However, they are not day to day practioners. There is no way they know your pain points, your implementation issues and exactly what your business needs. They can help you narrow down who they been paid to work with.
Another stat from this survey, Blanc & Otus asked what communication channels were most influential on the final purchase decision. Not surprising, word of mouth came out as the most influential at 85%.
We also know that professionals and businesses are searching. Everyday.
Each month (and growing by 20% m-o-m), we see more than 400,000 professionals and prospects coming to G2 Crowd through various channels but most notably through search to find reviews about the best marketing automation, best sales intelligence, social media management tools
83% of buyers are willing to give a referral, but only 29% actually do.
Buyers pay attention and understand marketing tactics. They’re not going to trust them the way they trust a personal recommendation from a colleague.
83% of buyers are willing to give a referral, but only 29% actually do.
Buyers pay attention and understand marketing tactics. They’re not going to trust them the way they trust a personal recommendation from a colleague.
USER GENERATED CONTENT BUILDS TRUST. Buyers want to hear experiences of those who have been in their shoes before, and whether their experiences support the buyers’ initial opinions, or not. Prospects want to know what they can expect upfront; peer insight provides those expectations for them (ReeVoo)
NEGATIVE REVIEWS are some of the most viewed content. A recent study by review company Reevoo found that three times as many consumers consciously seek out and read negative content from users than look for positive content. User behavior on G2 Crowd supports this finding: negative reviews (reviews on G2 Crowd with 1 or 2 stars) see 200 to 300% more clicks and views than positive or neutral reviews.
Companies can and should treat reviews and review sites as an opportunity to INTERACT WITH AND SUPPORT CUSTOMERS. Instead of fearing and trying to hide negative reviews, companies can proactively respond to the reviewer and address the issue. According to Lee Resource, Inc., 95% of unhappy customers will return to your business if an issue is resolved quickly and efficiently, and review sites offer companies even more opportunities to identify these unhappy customers for re-engagement. As far as prospects are concerned, 71% of consumers change their perception of a company after seeing it respond to a review, according to Bazaarvoice.
In closing, I encourage you all to take the G2 Crowd Naked Pledge. Join the nearly 14,000 products listed on the site and the over 875 products with 10+ more reviews that are empowering their customers to be a part of the conversation.
It’s important to think about any and all of your customer engagements as an opportunity for them to give back to you and vice versa.
Think about your review strategy. Plan for it.
Implement advocate programs with brands like Influitive, Gainsight, etc.
Encourage your customers to write reviews. People want to share information. Give them the platform and tools to pay it forward.
Keys to flipping the funnel by empowering your customers to engage with prospects at the right time. I will share with you actionable insights into how engagement between prospects and current customers will help drive “best fit” down your newly flipped funnel. Ultimately, empowering your customers to sell for you…….because the reality is they are already doing it whether you know it or not.
PROVIDE TRANSPARENCY
Sift through Vendor spend
2 year Outdated analyst report
Arduous RFP process
Still not confident in your vendor selection
48,000+ reviews
400k+ monthly unique software buyers/month
400+ categories