Based on a survey of more than 1,000 B2B customers, a clear lesson emerges about managing customers through the buying journey.
When customers overcome their inherent skepticism of sellers and feel more confident in the information they encounter, they are more likely to make the deal all sellers aspire toward: a high-quality, low-regret deal. “In many ways, today’s high-quality deals are less about what customers know, and far more about how they feel about what they know,”
Sellers already pay a “skepticism” penalty just for being a seller. Besides doubting the obvious self-interest of every seller, customers may become increasingly skeptical when they suspect that the seller is withholding information, contradicting claims made by other suppliers (or their own organization), or suggesting that the best solution happens to be their solution. This penalty must be overcome as customers who are highly skeptical of an individual rep’s claim, whether it appears inaccurate or incomplete, are 1.5x less likely to make a high-quality purchase.
On the flip side, when sellers are able to increase customer confidence in the information, they are 1.6x more likely to make a high-quality purchase with little regret.
Source: Gartner Buyer Survey