B2B Marketing that overcomes decision fatigue

The symptoms of decision fatigue are frequent procrastination, inability to think clearly or focus, impulsivity and ultimately, avoidance of decision-making tasks.

How good marketing practices overcome decision fatigue

Decision fatigue is the product of stress. The decision-maker feels overwhelmed by the number of choices and the need for clearer information to guide them to an informed decision. 

Your role as a marketer is to help educate the decision-maker, making their choice more straightforward. Unfortunately, most marketers mistakenly believe that if marketing content is focused on anything else than the end of the sale process, then it's self-indulgent or an unnecessary expense. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The value of education in marketing

The educational content in the marketing process provides distinct benefits to marketers. The initial use is by capturing opportunities earlier in the discovery process; you ensure you have the best chance of helping decision-makers understand the value of your offer before competitors even get a look in. 

This early-stage sales intervention also helps build trust in your business. Because you provided educational material that simplified the decision-maker's focus and guided them to a more straightforward decision, they now trust you more than your competition. Trust can be the decisive factor when, in a side-by-side comparison, your offer may be almost identical to a competitor's.

The value of a discovery journey

Plenty of research shows customers will need at least four to five touch points with a company’s online profile before they reach out and engage. Your marketing should focus on getting a decision-maker to that fifth interaction and beyond.

Demonstrating your credentials is a significant part of getting that decision-maker to the fifth interaction. If you're not constantly verifying that you're a thought leader in your field, how can a decision-maker trust that you've made the right choices with the products and services you offer?  Maintaining a profile of your company and people as thought and industry leaders is essential to another element of decision-making, trust. Trust is a central pillar of decision-making, and before contacting your company directly, your company's and people's online profiles are the only way to establish trust. 

Trust is most easily established when one party provides the other with something of value and asks for nothing in return. The online currency is information, with education information rated highest on the trust scale. 

The role of a sales team

Only 20.8% of B2C sales currently happen online; however, Gartner says 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels by 2025; even with that possibility, there's still an essential role for sales in closing deals. 

Let's say someone has been to your site multiple times and found most of what they need but must have one last piece of information to commit; an online chat or booking a zoom meeting (with an actual salesperson) can bring them across the line. 

If you're one of that 20% of B2B business that won't be closing online sales (due to the complexity or size of your average transactions), then your sales team are an essential element of the process; however, they can only be truly effective if they are speaking with the same voice as your company's online profile.

Your marketing activity should be helping your sales team by delivering highly qualified sales leads, allowing your people to carry leads to the finish line. Sales teams should only be tasked with finding leads if they are through referrals. It's a wasted resource to send your most valuable team members cold calling or trolling online for new opportunities.

The decision 'fatigue-free' zone

Prospects should view your business as a safe zone where they can learn what they need to make decisions confidently. Your marketing activities are the primary way by which you achieve this outcome. By providing a consistent authority voice on a subject and being generous with your knowledge, you become that decision 'fatigue-free' zone that more and more key decision makers seek.