Buying decisions not going to plan? Are you seeing buyer confusion?
INSIGHT - HELEN BLAKE
Uncertainty is swirling. Major geopolitical events, resultant market shifts, frequent company pivots, adopting AI, organisational restructuring… The daily challenges are real. Is it any wonder that people looking for anchors that will help them de-risk?
When risk is real, the options are unclear, and value is simply not obvious, our stress goes up. Confusion rises.
And confused buyers don’t buy.
Steps by companies to combat this ‘buyer confusion’ have included introducing buying groups with a range of stakeholders, particularly for complex requirements. As the buying group gets bigger, international businesses can involve as many as 15 executives with associated budgets and approval processes. How can a buyer or seller keep this many stakeholders aligned? And guess what happens next…
We know from over two decades of focusing on customer research and strategic customer value proposition development that behaviour and emotions fundamentally affect how customers interact with, and buy from, your organisation.
We know that the best way to move forward is to identify then remove the main causes of confusion and inertia.
Here are our top tips for stripping out the main causes of buyer confusion:
Check your brand and market positioning. If the buyer doesn’t know your brand or they don’t understand where you fit in the market, they may not consider you as a viable option
Be clear about your value proposition! If the customer can’t understand the value they will get, they are extremely unlikely to buy
Simplify value messaging. Stop over-explaining. Stop talking only about what you do and how you do it. Confused people want simplicity and brevity to help them understand. Use AI judiciously to simplify complex messages and react to customer requests speedily.
Be consistent. Consistency across your various channels to market will reinforce the desired experience you want to give
Demonstrate expertise. Share case studies and testimonials. Clear any misunderstanding about the solution or product
Personalise the sales process. Be sensitive to the buyer's specific needs and preferences.
Clarify roles and decision-making structures. Foster a sense of personal connection. Be clear who is responsible for what. If customer doesn’t understand, they get unnerved
Reduce risk. Give clear, open information. Check for lacking or misleading data, ambiguous pricing models or hidden fees because unclear terms lead to customers feeling ‘ripped off’ (this one really got me as a frustrated buyer recently!).
Address concerns proactively. Offer support throughout the buying process and highlight the potential consequences of inaction.
I know this isn’t rocket science. But sometimes we all need a gentle reminder to consider how customers feel (as well as how they think).
We buyers want providers we can understand. That we can trust. We actively dislike being confused and do want to buy with confidence, mitigating as much risk as we can.
If this is an issue you are grappling with then get in touch. Join the conversation or download our value proposition white paper https://futurecurve.com/resources/value-proposition-white-paper