Finding Your Customer’s Problem And Orchestrating The Buying Process

Is branding less important in b2b so that b2b marketing budgets are smaller?

This was one of the topics discussed at the latest ISBM meeting that Vivaldi attended along with a number of ideas for b2b marketers. ISBM is a great network of business-to-business marketers, a discipline that is near and dear to our heart at Vivaldi. We argue that b2b selling relationships are based on trust, and that a solid reputation can be short-cut in what is a long and complex selling process – which makes brand central to the value proposition in b2b. B2b brands also often have very complex, multiple targets that require a sophisticated messaging architecture, nuanced by target audience but building up to a common theme – so we would argue that b2b branding often involves more complexity that consumer branding.

A few key ideas emerged as “red threads” across the meeting as ideas for b2b marketers. First, the idea of “challenger salespeople” (a concept from the recent Corporate Executive Board book) as being the most effective –  salespeople who throw off buyers by offering an entirely new, unexpected perspective. This concept is akin to Daniel Pink’s idea that sales today is more about “problem-finding” (i.e. identifying a problem the customer may not be aware of) rather than “problem-solving (executing a predetermined approach for a problem that may not fit the mold). One of the meeting participants shared her allergy of “problem-solving” as a cliché of b2b branding – a sure candidate for killing on any b2b company’s boilerplate. In contrast, “problem-finder” brands train their salespeople to think content, not sales tactics. Just as in the digital world, savvy brands act as publishers (using content marketing or sometimes even native advertising that were much discussed), effective sales today means more than sales – more than order-taking –  more than service  – but “problem finding”. Challenger salespeople internalize what the brand stands for and live it out ruthlessly, and “problem-finder” brands train their sales teams to carry its values even in the most tricky situations.

Advanced targeting (through tools such as Semcasting)  can help identify buyers from specific companies. Analytics can dig deeper through attribution modeling (with tools such as C3) that lays out the buying process through a series of touchpoints (online banners, blogs, social media) and helps understand the link between “early-funnel” tools and the final buying decision. Retargeting can then help drive prospects more efficiently through the funnel by adding additional touchpoints for prospects identified as high potential (e.g. by adding advertising, offering rebates etc).  3rd party data overlay helps gather data from a number of sources into a consistent model. Finally, demand-side platforms can help optimize the marketing budget by avoiding intermediary mark-ups.

Beyond a more targeted distribution focused on the most promising buyers, the engagement strategy for each funnel stage also relies on targeting content. There was a great discussion on the role and changing nature of content – from “content is king” of the late 1990s to today’s targeted content: we are not talking anymore about one type of content but about targeted content for each funnel stage. Content to build awareness or reputation will not be the same as content conducive to building trial or loyalty. In a similar vein, talking about “bite-sized” content may be misleading – one of the great comments was that bite-sized will always lack depth for sophisticated buyers such as engineers. In b2b, the size of the bite is different from what consumers can chew off.

Companies often put a lot of creativity into defining their brand – to extract their ROI, the same level of creativity is needed for an engagement program that will make sure that the new brand is truly internalized by the sales force who are equipped to become “problem finders” and challenge clients. Similarly, the marketing plan for the new brand is central to its success – this is where the rubber hits the road. This marketing plan needs to be thought through on a granular level – with specific tools and approaches for each stage of the funnel. The tool palette of the b2b marketer has expanded dramatically, and making the right choices is what will determine whether the brand gets enough visibility or not. Launching a new brand is the crowded b2b space is hard enough – you are better off getting all your ducks in a row first.

B2B Customer Journey Orchestration

Modern B2B purchasing decisions involve multiple stakeholders, extended timelines, and complex evaluation criteria that require digital channel transformation. Unlike B2C purchases, B2B buyers often represent committees with diverse priorities, risk tolerances, and decision-making authorities. Successful orchestration requires understanding not just what information buyers need, but when they need it and who within their organization influences the final decision.

Effective B2B journey orchestration maps the intersection of buyer needs and organizational effectiveness strategies across every touchpoint. This involves creating personalized content experiences for different stakeholder roles while maintaining message consistency and brand coherence. The goal is to reduce friction in the buying process while providing the depth of information and social proof that B2B buyers require to make confident decisions.

B2B Journey Orchestration Framework:

• Stakeholder Mapping: Identifying all decision influencers and their information needs
• Content Orchestration: Delivering relevant information at optimal moments
• Sales Alignment: Coordinating marketing touchpoints with sales interactions
• Trust Building: Establishing credibility through social proof and expertise demonstration
• Decision Support: Providing tools and resources that facilitate internal consensus-building

Problem-Solution Fit Frameworks

Achieving problem-solution fit in B2B contexts requires deep understanding of both explicit customer needs and underlying organizational challenges that may not be immediately apparent. Many B2B buyers can articulate symptoms of their problems but struggle to identify root causes or envision comprehensive solutions. Organizations that excel at problem-solution fit help customers understand not just what they need, but why they need it and how it fits into their broader strategic objectives.

Our problem-solution fit framework emphasizes collaborative discovery processes that uncover both functional and emotional dimensions of customer challenges. This approach moves beyond surface-level needs assessment to examine organizational constraints, political dynamics, and success criteria that influence solution evaluation. The result is deeper customer relationships and more successful implementation outcomes.

Problem-Solution Fit Components:

The most successful B2B organizations treat problem-solution fit as an ongoing process rather than a one-time assessment. They continuously refine their understanding of customer challenges and evolve their solutions to address changing market conditions and organizational needs.