If you’re a B2B marketer your customer isn’t changing…they’ve changed. Today they hear about your products differently, learn about your products differently and most importantly make the decision to buy your products differently than they used to. Led by the explosion of digital communications the change in buyer behavior has hit B2B sales and marketing like a ton of bricks. So why the accelerated pace? And more importantly, what can you do to catch up?

It was only a matter of time before the way people buy at home became the way people buy at work. The rapid change in B2B buyer behavior started with a gradual, psychological shift in consumer buyer behavior. Led by the launch of Amazon.com in 1995 and the thousands of other e-commerce sites that followed, people started shopping online, usually buying low risk items like books, shoes and toys. They did their own research, decided what to buy and who to buy it from – all on their own. In the end they saved time, saved the hassle and liked the sense of empowerment and control the web provided. As they became more comfortable online their confidence grew. They became so confident that they started buying big ticket items like computers and TV’s and even cars online. They are now carrying that behavior to the office, but instead of buying books and shoes they are buying everything from parts to big ticket items like bulldozers and MRI machines.

There’s no denying it, your customer has changed. Now it’s time for you to adapt. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Stop annual planning, start iterative planning. In today’s business environment it’s hard enough to plan for next week, how can you possibly plan for next December? At Fullhouse we’re working with our clients to develop and activate a series of 90-day plans. Our mantra is “if it can’t be done in 90 days it’s not in the plan”. Forrester calls it “Adaptive Brand Marketing” and they encourage a “test and learn” approach where the best ideas get funding in real time.

• Be a customer for a day. Try and find part number 4270B on your website. Call the 800 number you list for technical support. Find your local distributor and give them a call. Attempt to buy something from your company. Document and share your experiences, and then take what you learn and fix all the little things that will create a great customer experience.

•  Use social media to “eavesdrop” on your customers. Once you’re comfortable engage them in dialog and see what happens. Can’t find your customers? Check out your competitors…you might find them there!

• Identify and tear down the barriers to selling - they’re everywhere. Pick some low hanging fruit, put them into a 90-day plan and get them done. The sense of satisfaction you feel will be energizing, and the impact on the bottom line will be noticeable.

Give it a try. When you adopt an agile, iterative approach to understanding and meeting your customer’s needs you’ll likely have a customer for life. Don’t and one day you might find them posting pictures of their recent purchase in the “new deliveries” section of your competitor’s Facebook page. And then all you’ll be left with is a search for the “dislike” button.