What a B2C Guy Can Learn From B2B Sales
I was the National Sales Director for one of the largest homebuilders in the United States. I was raised in a Business-to-Consumer environment. Trust me, I understand the emotion-based sale!
To be honest, I always wondered whether I could fluently speak the Business-to-Business sales language (or at least toss in enough jargon to fake it!) I mean how much emotion can really go into a business decision? Turns out quite a bit, actually.
Is there that much of a gap? Is the sales environment between these two worlds really that different?
The answer is yes. And no.
The Emotional Component of B2C
In a nutshell, the biggest difference between B2C and B2B is the degree to which emotion enters into the sale. More specifically, the type of emotion that affects the purchase decision.
In a true business-to-consumer sales process (homes, cars, boats, jewelry, insurance, etc.) the prospect’s emotions, both positive and negative, are often largely undefined. B2C sales professionals often hear these kind of emotion-based comments from customers:
- “I’ll know it when I see it. “
- “I’m just not feeling it.”
- “I LOVE it!”
- “I HATE it!”
The emotion is related to the very thought of ownership and enjoyment. It’s about feel more than facts.
Case in point: At Costco, my wife will hold up a sweater and spread it across her torso. Why? So she can see if it fits? Not hardly. So she can check the many mirrors in the Costco clothing department? Not in any Costco I’ve ever seen! No, her action is about emotion. She’s trying to see if the sweater “feels right.” In B2C sales, you either feel it or you don’t.
The Emotional Component of B2B
A different type of emotion drives the sale in the business-to-business world. More often than not, a business purchase decision is one based on risk-management. The emotion is based in a feeling of security in the decision rather than joy of ownership.
From this perspective, the B2B emotion can be even more important and more complex than that of a joyful impulse to purchase a pair of shoes. The fear of making a gargantuan mistake that could cost your company thousands (or millions!) is enough to induce a paralyzing analysis of the options.
The Commonality
B2B sales professionals would be wise to consider more fully the emotional side of the sale. And in kind, B2C sales pros would do well to better understand the risk management aspects of their sales.
At the end of the day, however, every purchase decision funnels through the same formula. People buy when:
Current Dissatisfaction x Future Promise > Cost + Fear
There must be something that needs to improve (current dissatisfaction) and there must be a picture of what “right” looks like (future promise), and these factors must outweigh the cost and fear associated with a purchase decision.
Understand the core reason why your customer—business or consumer—makes a decision and you’ll change their world.
