Be Your Customer's Vital Source of Information

Salespeople get less face-time in front of a buyer these days. In fact… 

One reason is because buyers can attain lots of information online independently. The internet is the equalizer for accessing intelligence whether you’re the buyer or the seller. 
 

Looking through the customer’s perspective

But more information, per se, does not making the buyer’s decision easier. You talk about the challenges of keeping abreast of the news and latest technology in your industry? Rapid change. Overnight shift. Always something new. Especially now. So imagine how the customer feels. Check out this statistic:

Customers are searching online to help them decide. There’s plenty of information 24 hours a day / 7 days a week, sure. But the quality of the data is suspect. There’s a lot of junk, folks. And information isn’t always clear. So buying is harder today – more choices, more information, more onus on the consumer to evaluate credibility. 

And here’s the opportunity for you and me.

We can make life easier for our customers by being a go-to online source of quality information. Marcus Sheridan, in his book, They Ask, You Answer, talks about how approaching with a teacher’s mentality – without bias and only trying to educate the reader – can build buyer trust. 
 

Content meets the customer where s/he is

When you create the content with the They Ask, You Answer mindset, in a conversational way, you’ll realize your current content marketing is, well, lacking.

Just forwarding the product information you receive from vendors isn’t the solution. The info isn’t the language your customer uses. You need to create your own. By offering the information a customer actually wants, you will satisfy his desire to make an informed decision. 

And why is this a win / win?

“Your customer will be more educated and more qualified because of the content they will have read and consumed on your website,” Sheridan wrote.

Consider how you buy

You don’t want to appear stupid. Nobody does. So before you go to the doctor, or you meet with a remodeling contractor, or you visit a wedding shop, you do at least a little bit of homework online.

You may be satisfied with just the basics (Shannan learning about automotive service repairs) or you may dig deeper and want to talk intelligently when you finally consult with a salesperson (my husband in the midst of new car shopping). Both my husband and I want information. And we want to be knowledgeable before we shop.

We reward the company with our attention when they provide unbiased information. 
 

Brainstorming the questions you're asked every day

So here’s what Marcus recommends. Brainstorm every question you’ve been asked by a prospect or client. Write them down. From now on, when you talk with prospects or customers, write down every question they ask. 

What’s on his or her mind? What are the fears, issues, concerns, and worries he has? Write them down exactly as the customer would ask (or search) them, not the way you (as the business) would state them.

If you’ve gathered a hundred or so questions, that means you have a good sense of what your ideal client wants to know. And you’ve discovered what your content should be about. Now you have the topics for every month of your editorial calendar.
 

Start answering customer's questions in your content

Start answering the questions and publishing content on your website. The content can be articles, video, case studies, webinars, white papers, website pages, emails, newsletters, social media, sales presentations, press releases… and yes, the list goes on and on. 

Obviously, if one customer has inquired, others are curious too. If one salesperson gets this question, other salespeople have answered the question (many times).
  
So when you create a Question & Answer article, for example, think of all the channels of communication. Where are the opportunities to educate your prospect and customer?

Each piece of content can be used in several ways. Maybe in a newsletter, a blog post, but also include the article as part of your sales process, in an email template for the customer service team, in an initial sales presentation, or a follow-up to a sales call. Not to mention the social media channels where your customer interacts with you!

Embrace an attitude of teaching (remember without bias and only trying to educate) and integrate this mindset in your system of doing business. Of course, make the content available to everyone who interacts with customers. But make content one of the most important services you provide the customer. 

When your customer has a question, be the company that answers it, and answers her/his question well. 

Resources:

“The New B2B Buying Journey.” Gartner, https://www.gartner.com/en/sales-service/insights/b2b-buying-journey.

“Thinking with Google, Consumer Insights.” Google, https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/search/#?query=Consumer%20Insights&current_source=data_points&page=0,0&sort_field=date&limit=12&locale=en-us.

Sheridan, Marcus. They Ask, You Answer, pgs. 23-25, 113-116.