Here is how to fix a B2B funnel with some ABM and common sense, by applying some micro-commitments.
Sales folks tend to understand and use the power of micro-commitments more than the average B2B marketing gal or guy. (B2C marketers also have an advantage here.)
But WTH is a micro-commitment?
Glad you asked.
They are tiny actions, interactions you ask your prospect to take. These little actions and commitments can then build up to greater ones.
The underlying psychology is this: if somebody puts effort into something, they are more likely to value that over an alternative, which they have less prior “investment” in.
To use a dating analogy: the first commitment you want your to-be-sweetheart to take is to: talk to you. That’s it! Or even just to smile back at you.
Those are small commitments on behalf of the other person, but they set the stage for more important ones: replying to texts… then, grabbing coffee »» then dinner »» then…
The mechanism is the same in your growth-process, too.
Each interaction should get more meaningful with the account. As a whole, each should demand a larger and larger commitment from the buyer, gradually building up the bond that will eventually turn into a contract.
What B2B tech companies get wrong is that they try to get the equivalent of a dinner on the first interaction: which is a demo or an expert call.
Going from cold to demo is like asking out a stranger for dinner.
Not impossible, but totally suboptimal.
Here is how you can easily add micro-commitments to an account-based marketing funnel:
Old funnel:
1. run ad for demo
landing page » get a demo
This funnel aims to get 1 micro-commitment (click) and one big commitment: a demo
New funnel:
connect and engage with target prospects on Linkedin (teeny-tiny micro commitments)
send them content or tag them in comments (also a minor interaction)
run content-rich ad with more in-depth teaching/advice in a blogpost (micro commitment here is a click)
in the blogpost, give the opportunity to sign up for a demo because some will be ready)
then, you can reach out to them personally and/or run ads for your demo.
See how we’re building up the pitch for the demo in 4 steps rather than 1?
“But more steps add friction to the process”
I hear you. For some folks who are at the buying stage and they’re ready to jump on a call.
You should always have shortcuts to schedule that call… but for the vast majority of the market, building a relationship the way real relationships are usually built, is the way.
