BUSINESS BUYERS ARE LOOKING FOR PERSONAL BENEFITS
By Robert W. Bly
In a column titled "Is business-to-business marketing really dif-ferent than consumer marketing?", I described the six key factors that set business-to-business
marketing apart from consumer marketing. They are: 1. The business buyer wants to buy. 2. The business buyer is sophisticated. 3. The business buyer is an information seeker who will read alot of copy.
4. Business-to-business marketing involves a multi-step buying process. 5. The buying decision is frequently made by a committee and not by an individual. 6. Business products are generally more complex than consumerproducts.
7. The business buyer buys for his company's benefit--and his own. There are two parts to this principle. Let's take one at a time. THE BUSINESS BUYER BUYS FOR HIS COMPANY'S BENEFIT The business buyer must acquire
products and services that benefithis company. This means the product or service saves the company time or money, makes money, improves productivity, increases effic-iency or solves problems.Let's say, for example, that you sell a
telecommunications network and your primary advantage over the competition is that your systemreduces monthly operating expenses by 50 percent. If a prospect isspending $40,000 a month for your competitor's network, you canreplace
it and provide his company with the same level of service for only $20,000 a month.The company benefits because it saves $240,000 a year in communicat-ions costs--more than $1 million in a five-year period.Yet, despite this
tremendous benefit, you find that prospects are not buying. They seem interested, and you get a lot of inquiries.But few sales are closed.Why? Because in addition to buying for his company's benefit, theprospect also buys for
himself.THE BUSINESS BUYER BUYS FOR HIS OWN BENEFITThe second part of principle #7 is that, while the buyer is lookingto do right by his company, he has an equal (if not greater) concernfor his own well-being and selfish
interests.Although the idea of saving $240,000 a year with your telecommuni-cations system is appealing to your prospect, his thought processis as follows:"Right now I have a good system. Your system sounds good but I don't
know you or your company. If I switch and something goeswrong, I will be blamed. I may even get fired. My boss will say,'You shouldn't have gambled on an unproven product from an unknownvendor--why didn't you stick with good ole
reliable company? He will say this even though he approved my decision. So to be safe, I will stick with my current system...even though it costs my companyan extra $240,000 a year. After all, I'd rather see them spend anextra
$240,000 a year than me lose my $60,000-a-year job!"This play-it-safe mentality is only natural, and it affects buyingdecisions daily in corporations throughout the country. Data process-ing professionals are fond of saying,
"Nobody ever got fired for buying XXX." Buying XXX ensures the prospect that no one can criti-cize his decision, even if brand X is the better choice from a bus-iness and technical point of view.A corporate pension fund
manager noted that no money manager ever got fired for losing money invested in a blue-chip stock, A dif-ferent example, but the principle remains the same.THE BUSINESS BUYER IS FOR HIMSELFConcern for making the safe, acceptable
decision is a primary moti-vation of business buyers, but it is not the only reason why busi-ness buyers choose products, services and suppliers that are notnecessarily the best business solution to their company's problem.Avoiding
stress or hardship is a big concern among prospects. For example, a consultant might offer a new system for increasing pro-ductivity, but it means more paperwork for the shipping department...and especially for the head of the
shipping department. If he hasanything to say about it, and thinks no one will criticize him for it, the head of shipping will, in this case, work to sway the com-mittee against engaging the consultant or using his
system...eventhough the current procedures are not efficient. The departmenthead, already overworked, wants to avoid something he perceives asa hassle and a headache, despite its contribution to the greater good of the
organization.Fear of the unknown is also a powerful motivator. A middle manager,for example, might vote against acquiring desktop publishing andputting a terminal on every manager's desk because he himself hascomputer phobia. Even
though he recognizes the benefit such tech-nology can bring to his department, he wants to avoid the pain oflearning something he perceives to be difficult and frightening. Again, personal benefit outweighs corporate benefit in
this sit-uation.Fear of loss is another powerful motivator. An advertising managerin a company that has handled its advertising in-house for the pastdecade may resist his president's suggestion that they retain anoutside
advertising agency to handle the company's rapidly expanding marketing campaign. Even if he respects the ad agency and believesthey will do a good job, the ad manager may campaign against them, fearing that bringing in outside
experts will diminish his own status within the company.In these and many other instances, the business buyer is for him-self first; and his company, second. To be successful, your copymust not only promise the benefits the
prospect desires for his company; it should also speak to the prospect's personal agenda,as well.
