How to Improve B2B Buyers’ Confidence in the Purchase Process

For B2B software companies, more customized web content for buyers isn't always the solution for sales and marketing roadblocks. 

This may seem counterintuitive in the face of recent buzz about using marketing automation to create custom content for buyers. But while hyperpersonalization may work for a B2C company selling a lower-value item, it doesn’t always hold true for the B2B space. 

In the B2B buying decision process, there’s a sweet spot between content customization and buyer confidence, especially for group buying decisions on large purchases like software.

An overload of information can cause buying groups to lose confidence both during the purchase process and after, in the form of buyer’s remorse. Why does it matter if your customers feel confident in their decision if you already closed the sale? Because implementation is just as important as the sales process.

If things go awry, it falls on the shoulders of those who made the purchase decision, and they may regret their choice, opt out of renewing or not recommend the software to their peers. On the flip side, customers who are confident in their decision feel empowered by their software and are more likely to advocate for your business and product within their networks.

Here are several ways to improve B2B buyers’ confidence.

In both marketing collateral and sales conversations, don’t overload B2B buyers with unnecessary information at the wrong time, or they could become overwhelmed by too much information and feel less confident about a decision.

According to Gartner, B2B buyers who are confident about their purchase decision are 3.6x more likely to complete a high-quality deal. However, when faced with individually tailored messages, B2B buyers are 80% more likely to stall their purchase (full report available to Gartner clients). Typically, large purchases require group consensus, and overly tailored messaging in the buying process can create conflicting information that divides — rather than unites — the group.

To distribute high-quality, value-added information to prospects, use buyer intent data to track their engagement across different marketing channels and understand their needs. You can also leverage software reviews sites and other third-party channels to encourage self-guided discovery for prospective buyers.