Growing B2B accounts for IT companies requires
Changing the scenario, the mindset, the proposal. Achieving growth and achieving annual objectives . All B2B CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) , including those in the IT sector, are looking to find the model, the path, the process that will increase their accounts, especially those of high quality.
According to the latest study by the consultancy firm Gartner, the solution could lie in trusting the decisions that customers make when facing a change . And marketing can be a fundamental ally in obtaining this value, giving support at each of the stages that they have to go through on their new path.
They surveyed 1,100 B2B customers who had recently considered continuing or expanding their relationship with their supplier. Their study was based on factor analysis of these customers’ perceptions.
They analyzed three vectors that could potentially drive growth for these high-quality accounts (customer satisfaction, willingness to change, and decision confidence) . Their research concluded that decision confidence increased the likelihood of high-quality account growth by 2.6 times.
However, neither customer satisfaction nor willingness to change was a significant predictor on its own of this growth. Customer satisfaction is a bid to maintain the status quo, according to Gartner , which does not significantly favor high-quality account growth, but rather repeat purchases.
On the other hand, the idea of change can sometimes be a conflict in organizations. Many organizations are overwhelmed or reluctant to forge new paths. B2B customers are 70% more likely to believe that a growth-based purchase requires significant organizational change (much more so than a repurchase decision).
Customers sometimes shy away from this change because they see it as difficult or risky, and it forces them to confront the unknown. One way to achieve account growth, however, is to motivate them to change, rather than focusing only on their satisfaction, as was done in the past, explains Gartner. But this willingness to change is insufficient if other considerations are not taken into account.
Around 70% of clients feel overwhelmed by the complexity of their organisations . They perceive unclear decision-making or conflicting priorities as obstacles. Furthermore, the decision to adopt change is easier to make as an individual than as part of a collective, within which multiple perspectives and dynamics are already in place.
Another problem the research points to is that when customers are willing to change, they may also be willing to switch providers. More than three-quarters of B2B customers report that if they need to address a business need, they are just as likely to choose a new provider as they are to stay with their current one.
It is therefore important to support them on this path to change in an appropriate manner, something that requires marketing skills. The idea is to ensure that this break with the status quo is redirected towards growth in their own accounts and not towards the purchase of a competitor.
Customers need to be trusted in their decisions so that they continue to buy from your services and are rewarded for it. Once customers embark on the journey to change – from planning to execution – messages that reinforce their willingness and help them feel inspired to successfully complete their journey are crucial. And that is where B2B marketing in IT has a lot to say and do, according to Gartner research.