B2B conducted a comprehensive research of risk gap between vendors and buyers

B2B marketing study investigated a difference in vantage points between buyers and their drive to eliminate risk, and vendors who assume a rational buying process. The research identifies a common “risk gap” and its dependence on a number of factors, including a vendor’s physical presence in the market, the number of people involved in the buying organization, and a product’s recognized differentiation. In the paper its author Gord Hotchkiss examines different buyer roles, the identified risk control mechanisms, and the relative effect of a vendor’s credibility and positioning. The paper also presents a mapping process for marketers to gain the necessary external perspective on their products, marketplace, and business buyers in order to more effectively reach and engage their potential customers. Mark McMaster, Google’s Senior Planner of B2B and Technology Markets, says: “It’s easy for us as marketers to oversimplify rather than bring out the real distinctions in the marketplace. In looking at some of the grey areas, this research is going to help us all be better aligned with real-world customer behavior.” Ben Hanna, VP of Marketing at Business.com, adds, “I want to emphasize how important this research is to providing B2B marketers a more realistic, and ultimately more useful, understanding of the business buying funnel.”