There’s something exhilarating about B2B technology. The people are brilliant, the products are exciting, and there’s always something new to look at, think about, and talk about. But that doesn’t mean that selling marketing technology is easy. It’s a complicated marketplace, flooded with hundreds of potential solutions for every tech problem. So how do you stand out? The answer is simple: understand what marketers want, and speak to them in their own language.
As you craft your own messaging, whether you’re writing marketing content or scripting sales calls, here are a few simple tips to keep in mind:
It’s All About Trust
We’ve all been burned by tech solutions that promised us the world but turned out to be, well, not that reliable. Reliability makes a difference. No one wants to invest time and money in something that’s going to fail; we want practical, trustworthy tools that do what they say, every time. No cute fail messages, no apologetic emails from customer support, and no spinning wheel of death.
In a recent study by Hanover Research, 90% of marketers listed performance reliability as “very important” to “extremely important” when they’re considering purchasing a marketing technology, with ease of use (88%) and ROI (86%) coming in close on its heels. When you’re pitching your technology to marketers, emphasize these three key features. Offer figures that highlight platform stability, demos that show how easy it is to use, and case studies that demonstrate real-world ROI.
Integration Matters
How many technologies are there in the average marketer’s tech stack? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? Between marketing automation, analytics, project management, email, tag management, social listening, CRM, DMP, CDN, and CMSs, we’re all up to our eyeballs in a potentially impenetrable martech swamp. The only way out is to make sure that all of these technologies can flawlessly pass data between each other, such that no matter which dashboard people are checking or tool they are using, they’re always looking at the same source of truth.
Given that 82% of marketers see the value of integration when it comes to technology, instead of focusing on how your technology works, tell prospective customers how your technology will work for them. Think about how they’ll be using your products and talk about the ways your solutions will collect data and pass it to the people who need it, in a way that’s easy and makes sense.
It Takes Time — and That’s OK
I get it. We all want instant gratification. But when it comes to marketing and selling martech, patience is a virtue. On average, marketers spend 1–3 months researching a potential martech investment, followed by an additional 1–3 months for approval and implementation.
You will ultimately win more customers if, instead of trying to rush them through this lengthy process — or, worse, by giving into your frustration and pulling a fadeaway — you support them through their decision-making cycle. Early on, provide helpful materials to inform their decisions. Once they’ve made the decision, stick around to help them set up your technology and get everyone on board.
In this whole wide and wonderful martech ecosystem, every solution, industry, and customer is unique. But there are a few simple, universal truths we can all turn to in order to succeed. To learn more about how marketers purchase technology, check out our recent report in partnership with Hanover Research, Webinar and Marketing Technology Purchase Decision Analysis.