B2B SaaS sales have undergone a significant shift, along with the buying experience. Between buyers doing research upfront, relying on their networks for education instead of sales reps, and wanting to see the product rather than imagine it, buyer expectations are at an all-time high.
Consequently, the stakes are now at an all-time high for revenue and GTM leaders to meet those expectations – and from the first interaction with a customer. According to research done by Salesforce, nearly 90% of buyers value a brand's buying experience as much as that brand's products. Delivering exceptional buyer experiences has become the key to sales success.
But while the concept of a better buying experience isn’t new, and the need is clear, what’s less clear is how revenue and GTM leaders can take action.
Traditional buyer experiences vs modern ones
In years past, the way we purchased products and services was a much more linear, vendor-driven process. Buyers approach vendors early on in their journey wanting both information and guidance. Sales representatives in this scenario are the primary source of knowledge, as they help potential customers understand their options, compare products, and make decisions.
For example, purchasing a piece of equipment decades ago meant visiting multiple carriers, participating in long discussions with salespeople, and relying on their expertise to end up with the right product.
In contrast, today's purchasing experience is vastly different. The internet, social media, and other online resources have shifted the balance of power toward the buyer. Modern buyers do extensive research on their own before ever contacting a vendor.
They check out reviews, watch tutorial videos, consult with their peers, and gather as much information as they can to narrow down their options. By the time they reach out to a provider, their minds are practically made up. They’re just looking to validate that this purchase will drive the value they need it to.
What makes a good buyer experience?
Not all B2B purchasing experiences are created equal. A poor buying experience can lead buyers to opt for a less optimal product, especially if they receive a better overall experience from another vendor. On the other hand, a positive experience builds trust, fosters confidence, drives buyers to purchase and lays the foundation for a strong ongoing relationship.
Signs of a good purchasing experience
- Consistent messaging that aligns across all customer touch-points
- Smooth transitions between marketing, sales, and implementation phases
- Personalized interactions that cater to the buyer’s specific needs and pain points
- Streamlined processes that respect the buyer’s time and knowledge
- Sufficient and compelling proof that the solution will drive intended ROI and outcomes
Signs of a bad purchasing experience
- Inconsistent messaging between marketing, sales, and product teams
- Disjointed handoffs between different stages of the buyer’s journey
- Lack of personalization or irrelevant information during interactions
- Overly complex sales processes with too many unnecessary steps
- Insufficient proof of value
Consistency is important when trying to create positive purchasing experiences. What a buyer sees on a vendor's website should match what they experience in the demo, as well as what they receive after their purchase. Disjointed buyer experiences, where the story crafted by marketing doesn’t align with reality – or what sellers can demonstrate in product demos — can lead to confusion and mistrust.
Are you meeting the demands of buyers?
The foundation of a great buying experience lies in deeply understanding your audience—how they think, how they work, what they need, and the challenges they’re trying to overcome. To assess and enhance your buyer journey, consider asking the following key questions:
1. How do your buyers want to buy, and is your sales process aligned?
This question is all about identifying areas of friction. Are you delivering the right information at the right time? What do most of your buyers struggle to understand, and how can you address those challenges early? Are there recurring objections? If so, how can you preemptively address them? Also, consider where your buyer sits within their organization and which other stakeholders need to be involved. Guiding your buyer through this process can be the difference between closing a deal or losing out.
2. Are buyers getting the validation they need to build trust?
The reality is that buying software is a significant risk, especially in today’s macroeconomic environment. Over the past decade, many buyers have been burned by vaporware and software that failed to deliver on its promises. In the post-ZIRP era, where money is no longer cheap, budgets are tight and purchases are under intense scrutiny. Your buyer is the one responsible for assessing and validating whether the investment will deliver the desired outcomes for their organization.
It’s also crucial to recognize that buyers are conducting extensive research before ever engaging with your sales team. By the time they reach out, they’re looking for one thing: a thorough, convincing demonstration of your product. They want to understand the value, key use cases, and see your software in action — working as it ideally would for their specific needs.
If you can’t showcase your product or provide hands-on experiences for them to explore the product on their own, you’re at a significant disadvantage. To help buyers validate their choice, it’s essential to foster trust and confidence in your solution. Provide tools like ROI frameworks, calculators, and business cases that not only justify their decision but also help them socialize and prove the value of your product across their organization.
3. How are you balancing personalization with scale?
Outside of work, our experiences as consumers are highly curated and personalized to us — and B2B buyers have now come to expect a similar experience. You need to show your buyers that you know them. But the challenge lies in being able to deliver this level of personalization without overextending your resources. How can you create a tailored experience that resonates with multiple buyers without reinventing the wheel each time?
Identify which parts of the buying journey actually require deep personalization and which can be broadly tailored to suit a larger segment of your audience. None of us can afford to waste time personalizing parts of the experience that aren’t going to impact the buyer’s decision. For example, create custom datasets for early-stage demos that reflect realistic scenarios in your top verticals. Allow your team to deliver meaningful, personalized experiences to a broader audience without the need for exhaustive customization at every step.
Who impacts the buying experience?
In short, everyone has a role to play in enabling a better experience for your buyers. It’s not just sales or even just GTM and revenue teams at large who are responsible. Rather, it requires alignment across multiple teams who are committed to delivering value and a good experience to their customers. Here’s an overview of how teams across an organization play a role in shaping a buyer’s journey.
Product
The product team significantly impacts the purchase experience by building the very solution that buyers are interested in. They ensure the product meets market needs and addresses real customer pain points. In some organizations, the product team is also responsible for developing and maintaining the demo environment that revenue teams use to showcase the product to potential customers. By delivering a product that aligns with buyer expectations and demands, the product team plays a key role in influencing purchasing experiences.
Marketing
Marketing sets the stage. They produce the content and resources that buyers often consult before requesting a demo—helping them understand their challenges, highlighting how the product can solve their problems, and sharing success stories of customers who faced similar issues. The marketing team must tell the product's story in a way that resonates with the target audience while setting accurate expectations that the product and sales teams can confidently fulfill. Effective marketing attracts the right prospects and paves the way for a positive purchase experience.
Sales
The sales team acts as the matchmaker, deeply understanding the buyer's needs and guiding them through the decision-making process with expertise and confidence. A key part of their role is to demonstrate how a product can solve the buyer's challenges and the value it delivers. They then help the buyer socialize this solution internally—building confidence and trust among key stakeholders.
Solutions
Solutions teams, also known as sales engineers, solutions consultants or pre-sales teams bridge the gap between sales and post-sales. They help buyers understand their technical requirements and then design (and sometimes deliver) the solution for the buyer. These folks help demonstrate how the solution in question meets the needs of the customer.
Strategies for improving the buying experience
To create an exceptional buying experience, you have to focus on strategies that not only demonstrate the value of your product but also ensure that this value is communicated consistently throughout the buyer’s journey. Focus on strategies that resonate with modern buyers' expectations for value, personalization, and autonomy.
Invest in your product demos
Today’s buyers want to see how your product works and how it solves their specific challenges, and 49% of B2B buyers say the sales demo is the most valuable part of the process. Demos are often the deciding factor for buyers, and poor demo environments that have generic data or can’t showcase key features cost teams deals. Your demo presentations should showcase the full breadth of your product’s value, tailored to the buyer's needs, and including its most complex and advanced features like AI to instill the confidence buyers need to move forward.
Empower AEs with product experiences
By the time buyers reach out, they’ve already done extensive research. They’ve watched your product tours and demo videos, and now they want to experience the real thing. To meet these expectations, arm your AEs and even BDRs with reliable, functional demo environments they can use to showcase your product. Delivering value in these early interactions builds trust and positions your brand as a credible partner in solving the buyer’s challenges.
Leverage technology to scale personalization
Buyers want to know that you can solve their specific challenges, so being able to personalize your narrative to their pains and experiences is critical — but it can also be resource intensive. Use technology to scale personalization effectively across the buyer journey. For instance, if you serve a handful of key verticals, build out early-stage demo environments with data tailored to resonate with buyers in those industries.
Let prospects experience your product for themselves
Modern buyers value autonomy in their purchasing journey. By offering proof of concept (POC) instances, you allow prospects to explore your product on their terms. This self-service option not only builds trust but also aligns with their preference for independent research, making the buying experience more convenient and aligned with their decision-making process.
Tell consistent stories across your buyer journey
Consistency is key to building trust throughout the buyer journey. Ensure that the messages and promises buyers encounter during their initial research are echoed throughout their interactions with your sales team. A unified message—from marketing materials to live demos—reinforces your product’s value proposition and helps drive sales forward by creating a cohesive, trustworthy experience.
KPIs to establish and monitor outcomes
To measure the success of improvements a brand makes to its purchasing experience, it's important to measure and monitor specific KPIs.
Deal velocity & conversion rates by stage
Tracking how quickly and frequently prospects move through the sales stages can help identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
Win rates
A better buyer experience should result in higher win rates. This KPI can directly reflect the impact of a streamlined, buyer-centric process.
Sales cycle length
Monitoring the time it takes for a lead to progress to a final purchase can highlight friction points. A shorter sales cycle typically indicates a smoother, more efficient process.
Net retention & churn rates
High churn rates can indicate a gap between buyer expectations and the reality of the product. Conversely, lower churn suggests that the customer buying experience accurately sets expectations, leading to greater customer satisfaction and retention.
How TestBox Can Help
The modern purchasing experience demands that brands adapt to meet the needs of buyers. By focusing on consistency, personalization, and collaboration, businesses can create a buying journey that not only meets but exceeds customer expectations. In today's competitive world, every interaction matters, so ensuring that every touchpoint delivers value is a must for driving successful sales.
TestBox’s commitment to enhancing the buyer experience through optimized demos and seamless integrations showcases our belief that positive buyer experiences are the key to succeeding in a modern market.
As you refine your approach, remember that the right tools and strategies can transform your sales process by making it more efficient, effective, and buyer-centric.
