Companies need to ensure that they’re on the list

April 2008

You can’t win a race if you don’t show up at the starting line and you can’t make a sale if you’re not on a buyer’s short list. What are you doing to make sure that your sales team gets invited to the race?

BtoB buyers have to know who’s in the running before they can make an informed decision like who’s going to win (the new business). Finding the right vendor (or product) that matches their company’s needs is a complex buying decision. Simply trying to evaluate vendors by a side-by-side web comparison won’t produce the desired results.

For example, a marketing manager knows she needs an email marketing vendor to communicate with her company's customers - but who provides email marketing services? Who are the industry leaders? What about the niche experts? Who has the best customer service?

Finding a solid list of potential vendors is a key step and will help the research and selection process run much more smoothly. Industry trade shows, editorial lists such as “Top 50 Vendors,” and Industry Directories are some good entry points for vendor selection, and for good reason. They all help with the first step in the buying process: Finding out which companies provide the service the buyer seeks. That list enables buyers to reach out to prospective vendors.

Through the sales process and by talking to a sales rep, buyers learn specifics about each potential vendor. With each discussion, buyers narrow down the vendor list and refine their selection criteria (Which vendors offer the most customized programs? How much experience does the vendor have in my industry? What do other customers have to say?). But before those questions can be answered, the first one must be: Who provides the services or products I need? Lists answer that all-important question. In the quest to find the right vendor, a comprehensive list is the starting line.

As a marketer, you need to make sure your company is on that list. Seek out ways to get in front of your target audience at the right time. With longer sales cycles, more complex buying decisions and multiple decision makers, B2B marketing is oftentimes less like a sprint and more like a marathon. So getting on that buyer’s list is a crucial first step in the race against the competition.

If you want to save yourself some effort, start your B2B marketing program with B2B Industry Directories and know you’re reaching a targeted business audience.