The B2B Buyer Journey: What It Is & How to Map It

The B2B buyer journey isn’t like grabbing a coffee. It’s more like planning a road trip, with a whole team deciding on the destination. First comes that “aha!” moment: realizing your old software won’t cut it, or maybe it’s time to explore a new market. 

Then begins the research marathon—websites, webinars, white papers, and endless conversations. 77% of B2B buyers consume between 3 and 7 pieces of content before speaking to a sales rep. 

But let’s be honest, things can get messy. You might face a lot of roadblocks like information overload, non-consensus among board members, trust issues, and even budget limitations. So, how do you really go about it?

Don’t worry. I’m here to help you navigate this journey. In this blog, I’ll break down the B2B  buyer journey, explore those tricky challenges, and show you how to create a roadmap that actually works.  

What is a B2B Buyer Journey?

The B2B customer journey is the complete process a business goes through when interacting with another company, from the initial awareness of a need to the final purchase decision and beyond. It includes all the steps involved in researching, evaluating, and selecting a product or service and the ongoing relationship between the two businesses.

This process is more complex than typical consumer buying because it usually involves multiple people and takes longer to decide. Throughout this journey, potential buyers thoroughly research their challenges to understand them better. 

Companies that effectively map this journey can ensure they provide relevant information at the right moments to meet buyers’ needs. More businesses are turning to digital resources during this process, with sales and marketing teams playing critical roles in delivering content that helps guide buyers toward a decision.

The process requires finding the best solution that integrates smoothly with the company’s existing systems and processes. It’s a collaborative process where the company members work together to make the best decision.

What are the 5 Stages of the B2B Customer Journey?

Every B2B customer takes a journey with your brand. It starts with them not knowing you’re out there and, ideally, ends with them happily recommending you to others. To help them along the way, it’s essential to understand the five key stages:

Awareness

The journey begins with a spark, a realization that something isn’t quite right. It could be a nagging issue lurking in the background, or perhaps a sudden shift in the market has exposed a new challenge. Whatever the case, the buyer becomes aware of a problem that needs to be addressed.

This is where your content marketing skills come into play. Create informative and engaging content that helps buyers understand their problems and explore potential solutions. Think blog posts, ebooks, webinars, and social media posts that offer valuable insights and address buyers’ specific pain points.

Consideration

Now that buyers know their problem, they start exploring different solutions. This is a crucial stage where they compare features, pricing, and vendors, trying to determine the best fit. They might read product reviews, attend industry conferences, or request demos from potential vendors.

This stage can be time-consuming for buyers. They may need to gather information from multiple sources and consider the pros and cons of different options. This is why it is essential to provide them with the necessary resources to make an informed decision.

Decision

Your buyer has narrowed their options by this time and is ready to decide. However, they might still have lingering questions or concerns.

Here are some common questions buyers might have at this stage:

• Will this solution really solve my problem?
• Can I afford it?
• How long will it take to implement?
• What if it doesn’t work out?

It is crucial to address these questions proactively and provide clear and concise answers. Provide your customers personalized consultations, free trials, or demos to help buyers visualize how your solution will benefit their business. Additionally, consider providing testimonials or case studies from similar customers to help build trust and credibility.

Retention

Congratulations, you’ve won a new customer! But the journey doesn’t end there. Now, it’s time to nurture the relationship and build long-term loyalty. This means going beyond the initial sale and offering an exceptional customer experience that keeps them returning for more.

Advocacy

The ultimate goal of the B2B customer journey is to turn satisfied customers into passionate advocates who not only remain loyal to your brand but also promote your products or services to their network actively. These advocates can significantly amplify your brand’s reach and influence, attracting new customers and driving business growth.

Offer exceptional products and services that exceed expectations. Encourage customers to leave reviews, offer referral programs, and engage with them on social media.

B2B Buyer Journey Mapping

Since we’ve already established why understanding the B2B buyer’s journey is important, it’s time to explore how to create a B2B customer journey map.

Mapping the buyer’s journey is like creating a roadmap for your customers. It helps you understand their path to purchase so you can guide them effectively. Here’s a breakdown of how to do it:

Identify Your Buyer Personas

Creating buyer personas is like painting a portrait of your ideal customer. It’s about bringing them to life and understanding their motivations, challenges, and aspirations. 

Imagine you’re a software company selling project management tools. Your ideal customer might be a marketing manager in a midsized company who needs help tracking projects and collaborating effectively with their team. They’re active on LinkedIn and industry forums and prioritize ease of use and integrations with other tools when evaluating solutions.

Here’s how to go beyond the basic demographics:

• Conduct thorough research: Don’t rely on assumptions. Interview existing customers, analyze website analytics, and conduct market research to gather accurate data about your target audience.
• Focus on their pain points: What keeps your ideal customer up at night? What challenges are they trying to overcome? Understanding their pain points is critical to positioning your product or service as the solution.
• Identify their information sources: Where do they go to find information? Are they active on LinkedIn? Do they read industry publications? Knowing their preferred channels helps you reach them effectively.
• Uncover their decision-making factors: What criteria do they use to evaluate solutions? Is it price, features, customer support, or something else? Understanding their priorities helps you tailor your messaging and offerings.

Define the Stages of the Journey

While the Awareness-Consideration-Decision framework is a good starting point, remember that the buyer’s journey is not always linear. Buyers might jump back and forth between stages or skip stages altogether. 

For a complex enterprise software solution, you might add a “Needs Analysis” stage where buyers thoroughly assess their requirements before evaluating specific solutions.

Here’s how to define the stages relevant to your business:

Analyze your sales data:

• Look at how customers typically interact with your company from the initial point of contact to the final purchase and beyond. This will help you identify the critical milestones in their journey.
• Consider customers’ different touchpoints with your company, such as your website, social media, email marketing, and sales team.
• Identify customers’ common questions and concerns at each stage of the journey.
• Track the conversion rate at each stage to see where customers drop off.

Consider your specific offering:

• The stages in the sales pipeline may differ depending on the complexity and price point of your product or service. For example, a simple product with a low price point may have a shorter sales cycle with fewer stages, while a complex product with a high price point may have a longer sales cycle with more stages.
• Consider the decision-making process of your target customers and the typical buying process for your industry.

Don’t be afraid to add or modify stages:

• If your data suggests a different framework, adapt it to fit your needs. For example, add a stage for customer onboarding or post-sales support.
• You can also modify the order of the stages or combine multiple stages into one.

Map the Touchpoints

Touchpoints are any interactions a buyer has with your company, both online and offline. Mapping them helps you understand how buyers engage with your brand and identify potential areas for improvement. 

A potential touchpoint map for a SaaS company might include:

• Visiting the website and browsing pricing pages
• Downloading a free trial or demo
• Receiving email newsletters and product updates
• Attending a webinar or online conference
• Engaging with social media posts
• Contacting customer support for assistance

Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Think beyond the obvious: Consider all possible touchpoints, from social media and website visits to customer support calls and product demos.
• Use a customer journey mapping tool: Various tools like Qualaroo can help you visualize the journey and track touchpoints.
• Focus on the customer experience: Evaluate each touchpoint from the buyer’s perspective. Is it easy and enjoyable to interact with your company?

Gather Data and Insights

Data is essential for understanding your buyer’s journey and identifying areas for improvement. For example, analyzing website analytics might reveal that many visitors abandon their shopping carts at the checkout page. This could indicate a problem with the checkout process or a lack of clarity about pricing or shipping costs.

Here are some practical ways to gather data:

• Website analytics: Use tools like Google Analytics to track website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.  
• CRM data: Analyze sales interactions, customer demographics, and purchase history.
• Marketing automation data: Track email opens, clicks, and form submissions.
• Social media analytics: Monitor engagement, reach, and sentiment on social media platforms.
• Customer surveys and feedback: Gather direct insights from buyers through surveys, interviews, and feedback forms.

Visualize the Journey

A visual representation of the buyer’s journey helps you see the big picture and identify potential pain points. A customer journey map might include a timeline of the different stages and visual representations of the buyer’s emotions, pain points, and key touchpoints at each stage.

Here are some visualization options:

• Flowchart: A simple flowchart can illustrate the journey’s different stages and decision points.
• Customer journey map: A more detailed map can include information about touchpoints, emotions, pain points, and opportunities for improvement.  
• Swimlane diagram: This type of diagram can show the different departments or teams involved in the journey and their respective responsibilities.  

Optimize the Journey

Mapping the buyer’s journey is not a one-time exercise. It’s an ongoing process of continuous improvement. 

Here’s how to optimize the journey based on your insights:

• Personalize your marketing efforts: Use data to segment your customers and deliver targeted content that resonates with their needs and interests.
• Improve your website and content: Ensure your website is simple to navigate and your content is clear, concise, and informative.
• Streamline your sales process: Remove any friction points, such as long forms or unclear pricing.
• Provide exceptional customer support: Be responsive to customer inquiries and offer helpful solutions for their problems.

Why Is Mapping the B2B Buyer’s Journey Important? 

We know the B2B buyer’s journey is a winding road. But why should we bother mapping it out? Is it worth the effort? In a word, absolutely.

Think about the last time you made a big purchase. Did you jump in headfirst, or did you do some research first? Exactly. 

Today’s B2B buyers are no different. By the time they show up for a product demo, they’ve already done their homework. They’ve Googled your brand, compared you to competitors, and probably read a few reviews.

So, what does this mean for your sales team?

Less influence: Your outbound sales reps have fewer opportunities to shape the buyer’s decision because buyers are already well-informed.

Limited face time: Gartner research shows that B2B buyers spend only 17% of their time meeting potential suppliers. And since they’re evaluating multiple options, the actual time spent with your sales rep could be as low as 5-6%!

It’s tempting to blame this lack of access on sales reps failing to deliver value. But the real issue is much more significant: customers struggle to buy. The average buying group has 6–10 decision-makers, each with their research and opinions. Furthermore, new B2B technologies, products, and services pop up yearly, making choosing the right solution harder.

This is where understanding the B2B buyer’s journey becomes crucial.

When your sales team knows:

• Who your buyers are
• What they’re looking for
• Where they’re looking for it

It gives you a competitive advantage by letting you:

Become a mind reader (almost!): By understanding buyers’ steps and their challenges at each stage, you can anticipate their needs and provide the correct information at the right time. Think of it as being one step ahead in the game.

Speak their language: When you know your audiences and their pain points, you can personalize your marketing messages to resonate with them. This creates trust and credibility, making them more likely to choose you over the competition.

Smooth out the bumps: Identifying potential roadblocks in the buyer’s journey allows you to address them proactively. This could involve simplifying your website navigation, providing clear pricing information, or offering exceptional customer support.

Boost your bottom line: Ultimately, a well-mapped buyer’s journey leads to more qualified leads, shorter sales cycles, and increased revenue. Who wouldn’t want that?

B2B Vs. B2C: Different Journeys, Different Maps

While both B2B and B2C journeys involve guiding customers toward a purchase, a few key differences shape how you approach each. Here they are:

1. Decision-Making Process: The buying process in B2B is complex and involves multiple people within the organization, each with their own perspectives. This leads to a longer decision-making process focused on logic, return on investment, and long-term benefits. 

In B2C interactions, individual consumers make purchasing decisions based on personal needs, emotions, and immediate gratification. Unlike B2B transactions, which involve strategic organizational choices, B2C decisions emphasize individual preferences, emotional triggers, and instant fulfillment. Comprehending these aspects is crucial for businesses to connect with customers and drive brand loyalty.

2. Purchase Motivation: In B2B, purchase motivation is driven by business needs and objectives. Companies seek solutions that improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance productivity. 

B2C purchases are influenced by personal wants, emotions, self-expression, social status, and emotional connections. Convenience factors like time-saving, accessibility, and personalized experiences also play a role. 

3. Relationship Focus: B2B transactions often lead to long-term relationships. Building trust is essential, as businesses rely on vendors for ongoing support and collaboration. 

B2C companies prioritize individual transactions due to immediate profitability, high customer acquisition costs, a product-centric approach, limited resources, customer diversity, and a lack of customer data. 

4. Content Preferences: B2B buyers seek detailed information about solutions, their impact on business, and comparisons to competitors. They prefer content like white papers, case studies, and product demos. 

B2C consumers are highly visual and time-pressed. They resonate with visually engaging and easily digestible content, including social media posts and short videos.

5. Sales Cycle Length: The B2B sales cycle is typically longer, involving multiple interactions and a thorough evaluation process. This allows for building relationships and addressing concerns. 

B2C sales cycles are short and agile, unlike B2B sales processes. Factors contributing to this include impulse buying, lower purchase value, direct access to information, emotional connections, and limited customization. 

6. Customer Support: B2B customers require a higher level of support due to the complexity of their needs. They benefit from dedicated account managers and personalized assistance. 

B2C support is typically more standardized than B2B support due to the larger volume and broader range of consumer inquiries. Key characteristics include FAQs, knowledge base, online chat support, social media support, email support, phone support, and self-service options. 

Here’s a table to help you understand better:

Mapping Your Way to B2B Success: The Journey Matters

Mapping the buyer journey helps you gain useful insights into how your customers interact with your brand, identify potential pain points, and create a more personalized and engaging experience.

However, remember that the journey isn’t a one-time event. It is a continuous process that requires constant attention and optimization. Nurturing customers, providing exceptional support, and turning them into loyal advocates are essential for long-term success.

Tools like Qualaroo can be invaluable for gathering real-time customer feedback and uncovering hidden pain points. 

By using targeted surveys and analyzing customer responses, you can recognize areas for improvement and optimize the customer experience at every stage.

Investing the time and effort to understand your customers’ journey will pay dividends in the long run. 

FAQ

What is the best examples of a B2B buyer journey?

A marketing manager researches email platforms, downloads a Mailchimp white paper, tries their free trial, attends their webinar, and then buys a subscription. This process, from research to purchase and ongoing support, is a B2B experience.

What is the average B2B buying cycle?

The average B2B buying cycle ranges from several weeks to several months, with an average of 2.4 months. Complex sales can take much longer, sometimes a year or more.

What is a B2B buyer funnel?

The B2B buyer's funnel visually represents the stages customers go through when buying. It typically comprises three main stages:

• Awareness: The buyer is now aware of a problem/need.
• Consideration: They explore potential solutions and gather information.
• Decision: They evaluate options and choose a vendor.