7 Burning Questions for B2B Marketers in 2012

Asking good questions was seared into my mental consciousness by several mentors early in my career. This notion was further influenced by prodigious reading of Peter Drucker. The premise being that good questions help you to focus and to get to the heart of what matters most. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years: it is hard to do and it takes practice! As I think about the future for B2B Marketers, these questions ring the loudest:
 
Who Are Our Customers?
 
We are undergoing the most significant changes in buyer behaviors in several decades as well as seeing the rise of connected social buyers, albeit younger, who behave much differently than traditional buyers. As simple as the question sounds, it is still the hardest question for businesses to answer. With existing buyers, new buyers, and expanding markets constantly in transition - getting insight into answering this question will need to be on top of the list.
 
Where Did Our Customers Go?
 
If we randomly picked a ten page year-end report, it would be a good bet that somewhere on page eight or nine in the third paragraph there is mention of it. You know what I am talking about. The one about, in management speak of course, losing existing customers or prospective buyers dropping out of the pipeline. If you don’t have solid answers on where they’ve gone – and why – then it is a safe bet you might see increases in next year’s ten page report.
 
How Do We Create A Better Buying Experience?
 
With distinctive differences between products and services narrowing substantially, experience-centered marketing and relationships will be the coveted playing field to win on. When was the last time your organization reviewed processes, systems, departments, and the likes to determine whether ...