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MARCH 2017
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INNOVATE
be involved in initial prospect
conversations. Fifty-seven percent
of a purchasing decision is made
before a buyer contacts a seller.
Using online tools in the selling
process is more important than
ever. Much like an effective
sales rep, a successful nurturing
program allows prospects to learn
about your services, even if they
aren’t speaking with you directly.
The Purchasing Phases
The phases a buyer progresses
through to ultimately make
a purchase are consistent
across most industries. Those
phases include:
•
Consideration
—This is
the first step in the buying
process. The prospect may not
understand their exact need
or potential solutions. They
are researching the industry,
broad product applications
and capabilities.
•
Preference
—The prospect
starts to research specific
brands. They have increased
their knowledge and are
starting to narrow the field of
potential competitors.
•
Intent
—The customer is
nearing a purchase and
needs details about the major
business benefits of the
solution they are exploring.
•
Repurchase
—The customer
experience and ongoing
interaction, both in person
and electronic, influence
future purchases.
What Do Buyers Look
For In Each Phase?
The type of information that
satisfies the buyer’s need is
unique to each phase. Effective
content in the right channels
will advance prospects down the
sales funnel and convert more
into paying customers.
•
Consideration
—Providing
broad education about
available solutions is the
nurturing goal of this step.
Blogs, infographics and white
papers are excellent vehicles to
convey this information.
•
Preference
— Provide content
from your website, specialized
landing pages, case studies or
white papers that explain the
specific product in the context
of the benefits that matter
most to your audience.
•
Intent
—Use cases, the
ongoing support process and
defined implementation plans
Much like an
effective sales
rep, a successful
nurturing
program allows
prospects to
learn about your
services, even
if they aren’t
speaking with
you directly.