By Katie Lanpher, GreatAmerica – Did you know that 64% of consumers have found customer experience to be more important than price when it comes to buying? And 74% of people will switch brands if the purchasing process is too difficult? Additionally, more than 70% of B2B buyers fully define their needs before even engaging a vendor, almost half of which have already identified specific solutions before reaching out?
These stats may not surprise you. They are reflective of the fact that, as technology has evolved, so too, have the habits of buyers. The advent of the internet gave us access to all the information we could want. This change in online landscape has cultivated new buyer habits due simply to the ease at which we can access information. As time progressed, search engines emerged and have grown to be extremely sophisticated. Soon after we realized how to use this to our advantage as consumers. Add social media, online reviews and ratings for products and services into the mix, and it becomes clear: consumers have been entirely enabled to educate themselves before making a purchasing decision.
But how does this relate to the way you think about your marketing, sales, and customer service teams? Many would be tempted to describe them as 3 distinct roles.
- Marketing is in charge of brand and appearances.
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SOURCE GreatAmerica
