Buyer Enablement

What is Buyer Enablement?

Buyer enablement is the process of equipping buyers with the knowledge, information, and tools they need to make informed purchase decisions. It encompasses both pre-purchase activities and post-purchase activities.

• Pre-purchase activities: During the buying decision process, buyer enablement helps prospects make an educated decision—for instance, sales demos, product videos, and customer reviews. It also involves creating content that speaks to needs and pain points so as to show buyers a product’s value.
• Post-purchase activities: After purchase, buyer enablement continues by offering user guides, tutorials, and onboarding resources. Depending on the complexity, buyer enablement also involves setup, implementation, software integration, and employee training to drive adoption and ensure the product works as it should.

Buyer enablement also includes tools and processes that improve the buying experience. Throughout the sales cycle, customers must complete several “buying jobs”—i.e., tasks related to buying that the prospect must complete independently of the seller.

These include:

• Problem identification: “Situation X is a problem within our organization, and we have to fix it.”
• Research: “What causes Situation X and how can a new product be the solution?”
• Exploration: “What options are available that fix our situation?”
• Outlining requirements: “What outcomes do we want from the product/solution?”
• Vendor selection: “Which vendor can provide the best solution?”
• Purchase decision: “Does Vendor Y solve Situation X in an ideal manner?”
• Validation: “This seems like the right solution, but we have to be reasonably certain.”
• Consensus among stakeholders: “Everyone needs to agree before we move forward.”

According to Gartner research, 77% of B2B buyers say their most recent purchase was extremely difficult.

At its core, the main purpose of buyer enablement is to help buyers navigate the above buying jobs, making the sales process faster and easier for them.

Synonyms

• Buyer enablement content: Sales and marketing collateral that helps buyers move through the purchase process.
• Buyer engagement: The strategic process of engaging prospects at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

Buyer Enablement vs. Sales Enablement

Sales enablement and buyer enablement sometimes comprise the same tools and materials, but with one critical distinction: sales enablement helps sellers sell, and buyer enablement helps buyers buy.

Sales enablement gives sales teams the knowledge and tools to close deals faster. This includes training, sales playbooks, content creation (e.g., sales collateral), and technologies that streamline the sales process.

Buyer enablement helps buyers complete one or more of the specific jobs described above.

Sometimes, the content and tools that help sellers close deals faster are the same ones that buyers use to make an informed purchase decision.

Suppose a sales rep uses a case study during a product demo. The case study aims to show the product’s value, relate to them, and highlight potential results they could achieve using it. In this case, it is sales enablement content.

Now, let’s say the seller wraps up the call and emails the case study to the prospect. On their own time, they distribute it to other stakeholders in their organization for consensus. Now, that same case study is buyer enablement content.

The Importance of Buyer Enablement in the Customer Journey

Buyer enablement is most important in B2B buying, where the average buying cycle lasts over two months and involves six to 10 stakeholders.

The Disconnect Between Sellers and Buyers

Throughout the customer journey, sellers and buyers operate separately from one another.

The typical B2B buyer only spends 17% of their time with sales professionals. Given that all purchasing decisions involve multiple suppliers, the maximum amount of time spent with any one company’s sales organization is about 5% of the total buyer journey.

Sales reps have their own set of deliverables. They have quotas to meet and relationships to build on their own timeline. And only about one-third of their time is spent selling—the rest is spent gathering information, researching customers, managing emails, and logging activities in CRM.

Sales reps have limited time to spend with each buyer and most buyers require personalized experiences, making buyer enablement a critical tool for bridging the gap.

Customer Preferences are Changing

Aside from increased demand for personalization, several new preferences and requirements are changing the landscape for sellers.

According to Forbes guest contributor and tech CEO Gary Drenik, most of these preferences are based on the shift to self-service—an increasingly in-demand element of the B2B buying process as millennials and Gen Z (which now comprise 65% of all B2B buyers) dominate the workforce.

Self-service implies more control over the purchase process. Buyers want to make informed decisions, but they don’t want to talk to sellers or deal with complicated product tours until they absolutely have to.

Information and materials need upfront includes:

• Pricing information
• Try-before-you-buy options
• Customer reviews
• Demos and tutorials
• Case studies
• White papers, ebooks, and other helpful content

Buyer enablement gives prospects the ideal customer experience—providing these ahead of time allows buyers to take care of all the research they need to, then reach out to sales once they’re ready.

Customer-Centric Buying Journey

“Customer-centric” is the most crucial concept to remember when it comes to a buyer enablement strategy.

To succeed, a company’s content needs to be tailored to each buyer’s unique goals and preferences. Knowing what information is needed at any given stage in the purchase process helps companies craft relevant, timely materials that guide buyers through the journey.

This could be:

• A product video that highlights the functional aspects of a solution
• An ebook that dives into key industry trends and how they affect buyers
• An FAQ page that answers common questions and objections
• Product documentation and tutorials
• Articles and whitepapers that cover business use cases for the product

Successful buyer enablement requires sales teams to think like marketers. Instead of just deploying general content, every piece of material should be tailored specifically to their buyer personas.

Optimized B2B Sales Process

Given the long average sales cycle length (and the general customer dissatisfaction with the overall process complexity), sales efficiency is an important goal for many B2B companies.

Buyer enablement helps optimize the process by:

• Helping buyers educate themselves, so they’re more prepared when they talk to sales reps
• Improving speed and accuracy of sales teams’ responses
• Reducing reliance on manual research processes like in-person demos or product tours
• Showing potential customers how a product fits into their workflow in ways that are difficult for sellers to explain
• Collecting customer data to gain deeper insights into individual buyers and the overall market
• Making it easier for buyers to access information, even after the deal has closed

Understanding Types of Buyers

There are four different kinds of buyers. Understanding how they interact with different materials can help sellers determine the right sales approach for each.

The Amiable Buyer

Amiable buyers are collaborative, relationship-focused people who prefer to build trust over time. They value personalized content and may be willing to wait longer before purchasing.

An amiable buyer can also be wishy-washy—they may agree to demos and follow-up meetings but have trouble committing to anything.

What this means for sellers: Treat them like friends, but build urgency. Provide helpful, timely information that builds trust and loyalty.

The Analytical Buyer

Analytical buyers are methodical and data-driven. They like to evaluate all their options before making a decision, so they appreciate detailed product documentation and white papers that help them weigh the pros and cons of each choice.

Thought leadership content, datasheets, case studies, customer reviews, and in-depth demos and documentation are all great ways to engage analytical buyers.

What this means for sellers: Focus on providing the most thorough, objective information possible. Position the product as the logical answer.

The Driver

A driver typically has a lot of decision-making power and likes to exercise it—they move quickly and make decisions fast. They don’t want to waste time on unnecessary details, so they prefer information that’s concise and to the point.

Sales reps should be ready with short product demos or explainers when they’re dealing with drivers.

What this means for sellers: Keep your message clear, concise, and persuasive. Be prepared to answer their questions quickly.

The Expressive Buyer

Expressive buyers like to feel understood and want detailed product info tailored to their specific needs.

They are usually more emotional than other types of buyers—they prefer to do business with others who share their goals and values. When it comes to content, they like storytelling that emphasizes shared purpose.

What this means for sellers: Ask upfront what they need to close the sale, then deliver on it. Make them feel like the company’s number-one customer.

How to Enable Buyers in the Buying Process

Buyers also need different sales tactics at different steps in the buying process.

Awareness

The awareness stage of the buying process is all about introducing the buyer to a product or service. Top-level educational content works best—think explainer videos, infographics, social content, and ebooks introducing the product’s features and business use cases.

There is no reason to overcomplicate things at this stage. Some prospects in this stage aren’t qualified for the product, so keep the content general and easy to digest.

Consideration

In the consideration stage, buyers are evaluating different solutions for their needs. This is when they start digging into specific features and researching competitors.

Sellers should provide more detailed, in-depth content that answers questions like “How does this product compare to others?” and “What makes this product the best choice?” Try using case studies, customer stories, and technical whitepapers.

While they’re considering a company’s product, they also need content that will help them qualify themselves. Industry-specific content will help buyers determine if they are a good fit for the product or service.

Interest

Once prospective customer qualifies themselves and shows interest, they become marketing qualified leads (MQLs). At this point, an organization has the opportunity to build a more meaningful relationship.

This is the phase where buyers look for a personalized sales experience and seek out information from people they trust, like friends, colleagues, or experts in the industry.

Enabling them at this stage means giving them access to customer success stories, product demos tailored to their needs, and company culture information.

Preference

If a prospect expresses interest, receives the above-mentioned materials, and decides they’re a good fit for the company’s product, they become a sales qualified lead (SQL). At this stage, the stakes are higher since the prospect has a real chance of becoming a buyer.

During this stage, sellers need to handle objections and personalize their product to the prospect. Buyer-specific feature demonstrations, tailored pricing models, and customer success stories are essential.

The goal is to make them feel like they have the full support of the company behind their decision to purchase.

Validation

Buyers that need validation are nearly ready to make a purchase. At this stage, sellers need to nudge their buyers toward a purchase decision without being too pushy.

For instance, an organization could offer a free trial, sales discounts, or high-value content to reinforce the buyer’s decision.

The seller themselves is also a source of buyer enablement—their demeanor, attitude, and technical knowledge can go a long way in helping buyers feel confident about their purchase.

Consensus

Customers that need to reach a consensus are mostly on board, they just need to ensure other stakeholders are on the same page.

If a company uses buyer engagement software, reaching a consensus is a lot more straightforward. With all the information (and stakeholder communication) in one place, buyers can reach a collective decision more easily.

Sellers need to prepare for this phase ahead of time by continuously making sure every decision-maker is accounted for during the process.

Of course, corporate politics, last-minute decisions, and objections may still arise. Sellers need to be ready for those and have solutions at the ready that address their buyers’ needs.

Purchase

Once a deal becomes Closed Won, buyer enablement continues. Buyers need knowledge and resources that will help them get up and running with the product.

The seller should make sure buyers have access to user manuals, training videos, customer service support (especially during onboarding), and other relevant materials.

For complex products, companies also enable their buyers through professional implementation, onboarding, and system integration services, which can be provided by in-house specialists or third-party vendors.

Best Practices for Effective Buyer Enablement

Effective buyer engagement is more than just publishing ebooks and hoping prospects find them. Companies should also understand their buyers’ needs and create a buyer enablement program that caters to them.

Understand the Customer’s Buying Process

For sales success, sellers need to understand what type of buyer they’re dealing with and where they are in the buying process.

To identify the buyer type (amiable, analytical, driver, or expressive), sellers should pay close attention to their prospect’s communication style, preferences, and behavior.

• Amiable buyers tend to be friendly and value personal relationships.
• Analytical buyers focus on data and logic.
• Driver buyers are results-oriented.
• Expressive buyers exhibit enthusiasm and emotion.

By observing these social cues, sellers can tailor their approach to better resonate with the specific buyer type.

Determining a prospect’s stage in the buying process can sometimes be straightforward.

If a prospect is already an MQL, there will be a digital trail. In other cases, sales reps need to engage their prospects directly by asking about their research, alternatives they’re considering, and whether they’ve explored the website.

Asking questions is crucial, as it helps sellers understand and connect with their buyers as they move through the sales pipeline.

Make it Easy to Engage in the Buying Process

Reps should initiate the seller-facing part of the customer journey by embracing curiosity and asking open-ended questions that reveal the prospect’s pain points. Demonstrating genuine interest in understanding their needs is a hallmark of exceptional sellers.

Here are a few tips:

• Attentively listen to prospects and show them how the product fits their existing workflows.
• Come prepared for sales engagements, armed with the necessary knowledge and resources to address any objections or concerns.
• Be highly accessible throughout the buying process. A remarkable 78% of B2B customers say they purchase from the first vendor who responds to their inquiries. Being prompt and available increases the likelihood of winning their business and fostering a long-term relationship.

Use Customized or Personalized Content

Writing new blog posts and developing ebooks for every customer is impossible, but personalized videos and example demos aren’t.

Nearly 100% of companies improve their conversion rates through greater personalization, which includes video content.

Recording Loom videos that highlight product features that solve customer pain points is the single best way to differentiate from competitors and drive more conversions.

When a buyer receives a personalized demo, they feel like they matter. An most importantly, they feel like the seller understands their unique challenges and how to address them.

Buyer Enablement Tools

Buyer enablement tools are, in some ways, similar to sales enablement tools. In others, they don’t involve the seller at all.

Here are a few examples of buyer enablement tools:

Content

Content is the holy grail when it comes to buyer enablement. Buyer enablement content includes:

• Blog posts
• White papers
• Case studies
• Product literature (e.g., documentation, user guides)
• Tutorials
• Comparison pages
• Product and pricing pages
• Webinars
• Video tutorials

Content should be easily accessible for buyers throughout the process—easy-to-use website architecture and intuitive directory structure are key for a successful buyer enablement program.

Assessment Tools

Assessment tools include quizzes, surveys, and questionnaires that can help buyers determine their needs and identify the best product or service to meet those needs.

They should be built into the company website and automatically redirect visitors to relevant content or products based on their responses.

ROI Calculators

Math is confusing. Interactive visuals aren’t.

ROI calculators work exceptionally well for products and services with ambiguous value (e.g., agency work) and SaaS products with quantifiable value.

These tools enable customers to visually calculate the potential return on their investment without having a sales rep explain it to them.

Comparison Guides

Every buyer will compare products before deciding on one. Whether they do so on the company website or a third-party source like G2 Crowd (or worse, a competitor’s page) depends on where they find it first.

Enabling buyers to compare products and services on a single page, especially when it’s easy to understand, increases the likelihood of winning their business.

Demo Videos

Sales demos are valuable at multiple different stages of the buying process. As they move closer to a final decision, greater personalization is key to sealing the deal.

Demos can be delivered via video conferencing software or sent via a screen recording (ideally, both).

DealRoom

DealRoom is a DealHub-specific software built for sales collaboration. It unifies all sellers, decision-makers, information, and interactions.

DealRoom is a central hub for conversations, deals, and documents to keep communication more organized and efficient.

At every buying cycle phase, stakeholders are on the same page, helping decision-makers reach a consensus faster.

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