The Challenges of Engaging with Multiple Decision Makers

All marketers work towards generating leads and most of them nurture leads as well. However, not all of them who do so are successful in such tasks.

A big challenge faced by marketers when trying to nurture B2B leads is identifying the influencers. A marketer may do a good job in eliciting the interest of a lead, profiling the prospect thoroughly and engage them in the best possible way. However, this still would not result in sales if the prospect thus engaged does not dominate the decision making process in the organization that foots the bill.

The problem for marketers gets compounded as most organizations have multiple decision-makers or influencers. This is especially true in the purchase of technology, where Forrester Research estimates that no single influencer has more than 30 percent of total power.

Marketers obviously have to identify the multiple decision makers, determine the key influencers from the group and customize the engagement strategy to ensure that each individual decision-maker receives content that is most relevant to them and suits what they look for from the purchase.

Each decision maker may be looking at different benefits or uses from the new product, and the marketer has to identify and communicate the same. The marketer also has to consider the most appropriate content type and marketing vehicle that each decision maker would most likely be receptive to and work accordingly.

Most marketers who fail in converting leads ignore such considerations and execute a flat and plain content strategy when engaging B2B prospects.