Are You Addressing the Four Buying Types in your B2B Inbound Marketing?

Personas are a discipline and tool we use and create for our clients. They help define your audience and give you the “backstory” to help keep your content marketing on track. While attending a business conference, I heard a presentation from Ken Banks and Robyn Winters regarding their BrainBranding system. I think these are also a good set of additional guidelines, along with personas, to help build your messaging around, especially in presentations. Different people need different things to reach a decision, even within the same persona.

The Brain Branding concept is that all people make buying decisions based on what they need to hear that will make them comfortable with their final decision. There are four main categories and most people are dominant in either two or three of them. When presenting to a potential prospect, it can be a good idea to touch on all four of these “buying types” since you cannot be sure which of them will be the most appealing to the decision maker or group.

Here are brief descriptions of the four buying types:

1) Investigator – this buyer is into the numbers and the bottom line. Everything else is secondary, they just want to see how the numbers play out. They will do a lot of searching, especially online, and compare that research to reach their final decision. They want to know you are an expert in your business and that you offer great value.

2) Coordinator – this buyer wants the facts, figures, features, benefits and any other information you can give to them. They will read and study all of it, and then find even more information on their own. They want to know that you have a well-defined process for interacting with clients.

3) Relater – this buyer wants to know you hear them and that you can listen to their needs. Relationship building is the most important first step in any buying decision for them. They will reward a firm that gives them a great experience, even if they have to pay a little more.

4) Trendsetter – this buyer wants to lead the charge and be in on the latest trends. They first decide based on their perception of a product or service’s “cool factor”. They can forgive some bumps in the road if they feel they are riding the newest wave. Innovation and creativity are their battle cry.

Keeping these buying types in mind, and touching on some points to appeal to each of them, will help your messaging and your B2B marketing have more success. Remember that most people may have a strong dominance in two or three of these areas, but are strongest in one.