GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES B2B CUSTOMER ACQUISITION

1. ACQUISITION IS A SPORT Since most customers are multi brand users or brand switchers, the game is rough. Prospects don’t care about your graphic standards or if your standard brand font is Helvetica Neue. Your goal must be for the prospect to see, hear and act upon your message and value proposition. Spend as much as your investment strategy allows getting the right customers.

2. LEVERAGE YOUR POINT OF DIFFERENCE If you have one, flaunt it. If you don’t, create one.

3. DETERMINE AN INVESTMENT STRATEGY Devise a model that provides guidelines for how much to spend to acquire each type of customer over a specified period of time. It starts by understanding customer value by segment, then using this for prospect selection to optimize ROI.

4. UTILIZE A DISCIPLINED PROCESS It is unlikely in B2B acquisition that you will land high value customers with one contact. A disciplined ‘target-lead-nurture-acquire-activate-grow’ must be developed. Then, be sure to learn from your efforts and change accordingly.

5. MAP AND UNDERSTAND THE CUSTOMER (PURCHASE) JOURNEY Some purchase decisions are based on impulse, others on week or month+ long evaluations. Find out what stage your prospect is in and hit them with the right message at the right time.

6. EARN & LEARN

Acquiring new customers and gaining new actionable insight should be ongoing efforts. Think in terms of long-term customer relationships, not start and stop communications.

7. UTILIZE MULTIPLE CHANNELS & TOUCHPOINTS Explore all components of where the prospect lives, works, plays and shops. Customers aren’t waiting for your next banner or remarketing effort to make a purchase decision. They decide on their time and their terms. Be where they are

 

 

8. LOST CUSTOMERS CAN BE PROFITABLE Winback can often be more profitable than cold acquisition. These customers used to like or love your brand, then were either tempted away or had something interrupt their relationship with you. Use what you know about them to win back their affections.

9. CREATE AND LEVERAGE ADVOCATES

Brand ambassadors and various referral ‘engines’ play an ever-increasing role in qualified acquisition

10. QUANTIFIABLE OBJECTIVES & PRE-DETERMINED METRICS

If you don’t know where you going before you start your efforts, you’ll never know if you got there.

11. MESSAGING SHOULD EMPLOY BOTH HEAD & HEART

B2B prospects and decision makers require rational and emotional basis for their purchase decisions. Make sure you appeal to both.

12. CREATE CONVERSATION WITHIN TARGETED COMPANIES

Decisions are seldom made without various involvements from influencers and other decision makers. Provide the ‘tools’ that create/facilitate conversation within your prospects organization.

 

 

ACQUISITION IS A SPORT

LEVERAGE YOUR POINT OF DIFFERENCE

DETERMINE AN INVESTMENT STRATEGY

UTILIZE A DISCIPLINED PROCESS

MAP AND UNDERSTAND THE CUSTOMER (PURCHASE) JOURNEY

EARN & LEARN

UTILIZE MULTIPLE CHANNELS & TOUCHPOINTS LOST CUSTOMERS CAN BE PROFITABLE

CREATE AND LEVERAGE ADVOCATES

QUANTIFIABLE OBJECTIVES & PRE-DETERMINED METRICS

MESSAGING SHOULD EMPLOY BOTH HEAD & HEART

CREATE CONVERSATION WITHIN TARGETED COMPANIES