Emotion as a Motivator

I recently ran into an article online from a marketing expert that said B2B buyers operate on logic alone. That’s ridiculous. Buyers are human, emotional beings and those emotional drivers play out in all aspects of life—including business decision making. Business buyers are motivated by a combination of logic and emotion.  Logic serves the responsibility to their employer and emotion serves their personal considerations. For example…

Logic

Does the product or solution address our needs? Is it within our budget?

Emotion

Do I feel confident in this product/solution/vendor? Do I believe in the brand promise? Will the recommendation to purchase represent me well to my boss and peers? Do I trust it?

Many B2B marketers focus their efforts purely on the logical motivators.  When this happens, marketing messages and collateral are mostly cost comparisons, solution capabilities or product functionality.  When you read a marketing message built this way, you feel that something is missing. It might seem as if the solution doesn’t fully address your concerns or needs. Maybe it’s just boring. It doesn’t inspire your trust. Most likely, the message didn’t speak to you and persuade you on an emotional level.

Addressing emotional motivators is an important consideration in B2B marketing.  All things being equal in meeting the needs and affordability factors, buyers will choose the vendor and solution they most trust. Think about it in your own world – would you spend your company budget on something you didn’t trust would deliver value to the business. If it delivers value to the business, it also helps the buyer in achieving their personal goals. If it doesn’t deliver value, it can negatively impact how you are perceived in the business.

What inspires your trust? Is it features and functions, or is it customer testimonials and media accolades?  Company claims alone do not secure trust in a brand.

What are you doing today to inspire trust from your buyers?

Posted By: Renee Yeager