Skip to content

90-Second Demo

Results Guarantee

Client Login

Search:
SimplyDIRECT
Survey Based Demand Generation
SimplyDIRECT
  • About
    • Our Team
      • Leadership
      • Customer Success
      • Operations
      • Sales
    • Our Clients
  • Services
    • Surveys
    • Custom Data Build
      • Free Trial
    • Market Research
    • Content Creation
      • White Papers
      • Infographics
      • Pulse Reports
    • Direct Mail
  • Case Studies
    • Testimonials
  • Research
  • Blog
  • News
  • Contact
Facebook page opens in new windowLinkedin page opens in new windowTwitter page opens in new windowYouTube page opens in new windowMail page opens in new window
  • About
    • Our Team
      • Leadership
      • Customer Success
      • Operations
      • Sales
    • Our Clients
  • Services
    • Surveys
    • Custom Data Build
      • Free Trial
    • Market Research
    • Content Creation
      • White Papers
      • Infographics
      • Pulse Reports
    • Direct Mail
  • Case Studies
    • Testimonials
  • Research
  • Blog
  • News
  • Contact

Blog

arrows

Using Psychographics with Role-based Targeting

Psychographic Segmentation Guru Lisa VitaleRecent research by CEB and Google (“From Promotion to Emotion,” October 2013*) on the role emotion plays in the B2B marketing process has returned some surprising and insightful results.  Counter to conventional B2B marketing wisdom, where branding and the communication of business value are vital to engaging prospects, study results strongly demonstrate that these components alone aren’t sufficient to create differentiation in the marketplace.

 

The key differentiating component most marketers are currently missing is an emotional one – the explicit communication of the personal value and benefits for the buyer who makes a decision in favor of your offering.  As the research indicates, gathering psychographic information to gain a deep understanding of your prospect’s leadership attitudes, social values, and personal fears, motivations, and expectations with regards to their career, can pay significant dividends. 

 

Traditionally, creating emotional connections with customers has always been the purview of B2C marketers, whereas B2B marketers have catered to the rational and value-driven needs of level-headed buying committees focused on business benefits and outcomes.  Yet integral to that very process is the weighing of risk and reward, where key decision makers often place everything on the line, most notably their credibility and their job.  Consequently, B2B buying is, in actuality, highly personal and fraught with emotions – and much more so than B2C buying due to the level of personal risk involved.  Explicitly addressing this volatile, emotional component by reassuring prospects of the personal benefits your solution provides, renders your offering significantly more attractive.  In fact, the study found that “personal value has twice the impact of business value across a broad range of commercial outcomes.”*

 

To appeal to personal values messaging should addresses aspects such as:*

  • Professional benefits (being a better leader, simplifying my life).
  • Social benefits (fitting in with colleagues, admiration from others).
  • Emotional benefits (confidence, excitement, happiness).
  • Self-image (doing good for society, feeling of accomplishment).

 

This research insight is invaluable for role-based targeting.  In identifying key decision-making roles and fleshing out their emotional components with psychographic information, the impact of initial messaging tailored personally for that prospect can be rendered much more powerful.  And to be clear, title-based targeting isn’t a sufficient proxy for role-based targeting – titles merely signify rank and vary significantly from one company to the next, whereas roles define function, responsibilities, as well as influence within the buying/decision-making process.  Roles will also tell you more about the individuals who occupy them, than simple titles will.

 

When account-based prospect surveys are used, in addition to the more traditional questions surrounding prospect challenges, questions can also be designed to both broaden and deepen psychographic intelligence.  For example, learning how risk-averse a prospect is reveals information regarding their decision-making process, such as the likelihood that a consensus committee decision will be required (the more averse, the greater the likelihood).  So, too, will you be able to infer the personal pressure which that prospect is shouldering with regards to the issue of risk.

 

Attitudes can be important indicators of price sensitivity.  Buyers who believe technology is a commodity will be far less likely to pay a premium for it.  High-growth business owners and successful senior managers are often interested in buying the best for their organizations, and focus heavily on competitive differentiation.  Marketers who target such buyers will need to clearly demonstrate such capabilities, including how their solution will garner personal respect.  The flip side is they will be able to charge premium prices.

 

CEB’s study suggests asking prospects open-ended questions* such as:

  • What is important to you as a [insert role]?
  • What is the most challenging/easy part of your day?
  • If you could eliminate one daily activity, what would it be?

 

In gathering precisely this type of psychographic information (i.e. attitudes, goals, beliefs, and emotions shaping prospect behavior, as well as the motivators behind tradeoff decisions), John Deere was able to successfully hone their brand value, product mix, and marketing strategy.  

 

SimplyDIRECT’s account-based survey services provide the means to engage directly with individual C-level executives and to better understand their business and emotional needs and challenges. Armed with this customer intelligence sales is better able to foster a personal relationship by helping prospects meet their needs.

 

To find out more about SimplyDIRECT’s approach please download our latest success story now by clicking on this link – IBM | Infor Case Study.

 

* http://www.executiveboard.com/exbd-resources/content/b2b-emotion/pdf/promotion-emotion-whitepaper-full.pdf

Share on facebook
Share on linkedin
Share on twitter
Share on email
  • Lisa Vitale
  • February 3, 2014
  • Categories: Blog
  • Tags: account penetration, B2B sales process, prospect surveys, psychographic segmentation, psychographics, role-based, role-based segmentation, role-based targeting, sales enablement, target accounts
Recent Posts
How to Engage Senior IT Decision Makers in Key Accounts
New Gatepoint Research Data Sponsored by Aventi Group Sheds Light on Priorities and Challenges Shaping Product Marketing and GTM Strategies
Gatepoint Research findings highlighted in article: Cloud Application Delivery Insights: It’s Still a Work in Progress for Many
More Posts
Categories
Tags
abm account-based marketing account-based surveys account penetration alignment B2B buyers B2B Content marketing B2B Marketing B2B marketing strategy B2B sales B2B sales process Big Data busiess persona buyer's journey buyer behavior buyer engagement buying process campaign success Commercial Insight Compelling content content marketing content relevancy customer engagement data databases decision maker demand generation email lists good leads Insight Selling IT decision makers key accounts lead generation list building prospect surveys remarkable content Sales and marketing Alignment sales enablement sales process sales prospecting social media target account target accounts thought leadership web surveys

Contact Us

Locate us.

490A Boston Post Road
Suite 14
Sudbury, MA 01776

Give us a call.

978-823-1670

Send us an email.

sales@simplydirect.com

Get In Touch

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    © 2022 SimplyDIRECT Corp.
    Privacy Policy
    Go to Top
    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Cookie SettingsACCEPT
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT