Taking A Lesson From B2C Marketing Storytellers!

By Perry Rearick, Chief Editor, Follow Your Buyer

It seems that Chevy is all in on storytelling with their advertising this year. The latest is the story of Mrs. Hayes, her life, both struggles and joys over time, and we eventually connect the dots on why she kept that old car that won’t start.

It’s a great story that can stir our most human emotions. For me, it stands out as another Chevy commercial that, instead of featuring their products’ features and benefits, focuses on the car owners, and how their lives are enriched through their products.

We B2B marketers tend to overemphasize the logical aspects of B2B purchasing decisions. We go into nauseating detail on specifications and product characteristics. Certainly, B2B buying teams put a significant amount of time into understanding the problems they have, how much the problems are costing them and hurting their business, developing solution strategies, sizing up solution providers, and making a final decision.

But the final decision often leads to a long term, sometimes costly commitment, and buyer emotions can be strong. When sellers take the time to build trust with buyers, the decisions are made easier. And the best way to build trust with buyers is by showing them, not telling them.

What car company has helped a business grow 30% year over year because a technology solution freed up the owner’s time to work on the business rather than in it? What about the CRM that streamlined sales operations and resulted increased sales, operational growth, and added jobs? Or how about the clinical research organization that helped a vaccine company complete the clinical trial in record time and protect most of humanity from a deadly virus?

Using a great story that helps your B2B prospects see how much better their businesses and lives will be by working with you will turn them into customers.