If you have a business-to-business (B2B) company, there are certain things your clients probably want from you, no matter what industry you’re in.
The needs of businesses are similar in some ways to those of consumers, which business-to-consumer companies must focus on. While there are some similarities, your products or services must be tailored toward business clients, who want to be sure your product or service will help their company in specific ways. Here are six things your clients want from your B2B company.
1. Usability
Even if a client is in your industry and you think they should be familiar with how to use your product or service, you still want to make their experience as user-friendly as possible.
Your clients are paying you to provide something, and they don’t want to have to invest extra time or money learning how to use it. If what you sell is difficult to get started with, offer a way to walk your clients through setting it up and using it.
Your website should be easy to use as well. It should feature simple navigation, a user-friendly search function, and useful product menus. Zendesk’s website is a perfect example of this. Its menus are easy to use, its layout is practical and customer support and contact information are prominently featured. Even changing the website’s language is easy to find, since it’s featured at the top of the page.
2. A Human Connection
Even if your product or website is difficult to use, great customer service can still provide your clients with a positive experience. Just like consumers tend to prefer speaking with a human employee, your business clients will appreciate having access to a customer service representative.
Having a human element to your B2B company can also improve your business’s reputation and lead to higher customer retention. It can help you create stronger relationships with your clients, which makes them more likely to stick around and recommend your business to a friend. Quality customer service will, of course, also make clients see your company in a positive light.
New Breed Marketing, for example, features a chat function on the bottom right of its website with a photo of a customer service representative. This feature allows you to chat instantly or schedule a time to talk. You can also schedule a free consultation on its site. Of course, there are also the standard phone numbers and other contact information.
3. Analytics
Your clients want to know how our product will help them. Analytics can do that for you.
For example, if your company offers inbound marketing services, providing clients with detailed information on click-through rates, social media engagement and other data can help them see what’s working for them and how your service benefits their company.
It clearly demonstrates your company’s value, which is ideal for retaining clients and gaining new ones by being able to provide concrete evidence of why your approach works. Making your data easy to use and providing actionable recommendations based on your analyses will also get you some bonus points with your clients.
HubSpot provides marketing analytics in addition to its other marketing services. It presents data to its clients in a format that’s easy to understand that includes graphs, charts and other useful ways of displaying information.
4. Customization
Every business is unique, and companies appreciate it when their partners recognize that individuality and tailor their approaches to it. Offering the ability to customize your offerings shows your clients you care about their specific needs and are willing to do what it takes to get them the results they want.
You’ll need to exercise some restraint in what you make customizable and what you don’t. You don’t want to overcomplicate your sales funnel with too many options, but you also don’t want to make prospective clients fell they don’t belong to you if you can accommodate their individual needs. It takes time and consistent effort to find this balance.
When implemented well, customization capabilities are a good thing to offer. FDM4, which offers enterprise resource planning implementation and consulting services, says on its website that its products are customizable. This gives their prospective clients assurance that FDM4 understands their company is unique and will be willing to work with them.
5. Scalability
Your potential clients will like to see that your products and services are scalable, meaning they can be expanded as the needs of the business grow.
This will enable their purchase to be a long-term investment. As their business expands, the system they work with you on will be able to grow with it. Your relationship with your client will grow over this time, too. This will allow them to become a more loyal customer and encourage them to make more investments in your business’s offerings.
In order to let your prospective customers know your solution is scalable, advertise on your website, social media and everywhere else. Clarity Ventures, which offers e-commerce solutions, mentions the scalability of it services because it’s a selling point of what if offers.
6. Results
The last thing your client wants from your B2B company is perhaps a bit obvious. They want results. Your clients want to feel like your kept all the promises you made in your marketing materials and that your company did something valuable for their business.
Everything on this list in some way relates to results. The customer service aspect helps your clients use your product to its greatest potential. Analytics help your client see and understand the results you deliver. Scalability helps ensure those results are long-lasting.
There are a number of things businesses look for in B2B companies they’re considering working with. Of course, their needs will vary based on the industry and the individual company, but these are a few of the top things businesses look for in a B2B partner. Include these items in your company’s offerings as best as you can, and you should be well on your way to having happy, successful clients.
