As we know, the landscape of B2B marketing – and buying – is drastically changing.

B2C has done it for decades, but B2B is now turning its head to really hone in on the needs and expectations of customers – and crafting a customer experience that is personalized, empathetic and provides value. 

This sentiment is underscored with where B2B commerce is headed. According to Forrester, nearly 15% of U.S. B2B sales are expected to be via digital channels by 2021, a 15% increase in just five years. So the days of sales channels via phone or in-person visits are limited. While omnichannel strategy and experiences have been embraced in B2C, those who are proactive in B2B are also starting to take notice in order to capture a greater share of the market.

To make the most of customers’ digital experience, start with the basics. Uncovering the hurdles that prospects experience is the foundation to building a customer-centric omnichannel strategy – and ensuring a great user experience. One of the best places to start is with your customers’ buying journey. Because B2B is known for long and complex sales cycles, there are many opportunities for organizations to uncover “points of friction” when it comes to supporting prospects’ decision-making abilities. So instead of targeting decision makers, its becoming more about enabling decision makers to actually make confident decision – and being able to do it quickly.

What Is Marketing Friction?

Friction in marketing undermines your efforts by making it difficult or confusing to advance from one step in the buyers’ journey to the next. As B2B marketers, we have to clear the lane of any sticking points and make it easy for prospects to learn and advance toward taking the next step. Friction is another way of addressing the negative aspects of the user experience.

So when assessing points of friction in your marketing, start with the buyers’ journey. Where do customers lose interest, where do they experience doubt or push back, and how can you help them make faster decisions? To uncover any potential customer friction in your organization – and enable a more confident, efficient buying cycle – dig into these strategies.

1.     Map and Evaluate Your Customer Journey

Have someone unfamiliar with your organization move through the different steps that must be taken to engage with your company and consume information. Look to see how complex it is, where there are opportunities for things to go wrong or be miscommunicated, and whether they’re able to find and get answers to their most pressing questions.   

2.     Gather Information from Internal and External Sources

Sit down with internal stakeholders to uncover what they believe friction points are. What is leading to lost business, what are prospects saying about competitors, and what are their pain points or objections about doing business with you? After you uncover this information internally, then go straight to the source and interview and survey customers to get their feedback. While more in-depth interviews are preferred, a simple survey will also do. Get very specific about the questions you ask to maximize your findings and how you can move forward.

3.     Take a Deep Dive Into Your Metrics

What types of emails have the highest open rates, and on what website pages is the bounce rate the highest? How are customers getting to your website, and where do they spend the most time? Oftentimes, a simple look at website metrics will reveal a lot of insights into customer friction points. Course-correct by ensuring messaging clear, incorporate strong calls to action, provide value, and answer any questions they might have about the content and what you’re communicating.  

The Future of B2B begins Now

The time is now to prepare for the future of B2B eCommerce, and starting with the basics is just one way to get you closer to developing a strong and effective self-enabled buyers’ journey. While you may not be selling your services directly from your website today, you very well could soon in the future. And the more you prepare, the greater chance of capturing market share and better serving your customers – now and into the future.