This article from Worldwide Business Research is really telling. B2B buyers are nearly 70% through their buyer’s journey before ever contacting your organization.
This piqued my interest for a couple of reasons.
It was not long ago that when you needed to hire a pest control company, for example, you would call multiple pest control companies nearby and speak to a sales rep at each company and have them share with you why they are the best for your needs.
Now? You have the internet! And what's the internet filled with? Reviews of pest control companies!
In a few short minutes, you can find the best pest control company, see who has the best-advertised price, read about their philosophies on pest control and maintenance, download a pest control, and pick up the phone to call the one pest control company you are ready to commit to.
You don’t even have to talk to the sales rep from the company you decide not to go with.
Why should the buyer beware? Your prospect already has all the information without ever speaking to you! They know precisely what they need before you ever know they're in the market for your product or service.
Prospects aren't just looking at your website when they're doing research. They're researching on Google, and they're reading results from your site, your competitors' sites, third-party review sites, as well as social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
2 words… online presence.
You have to have an online presence! Whether you like it or not, your prospects are doing their research right now! They are going to decide whether they want to work with you or not long before you can give them your sales pitch face to face. So instead of losing out, make sure your website is chock-full of resources, case studies, blog posts, and information so that your prospect can make an informed decision.
It's simply not enough to have a website with a few pages of description. The search engines favor fresh content, so to stay relevant in their eyes, you need to be creating content that is going to drive traffic your way. Potential buyers search online — if you're not constantly producing content, they won't find you. They'll buy from your competitor, and you won't even know you lost the sale.
Now's the second-best time to plant a tree, so plant it!
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