Was TOFU/MOFU/BOFU model ever relevant in a business-to-business environment?
Absolutely! Before attention shifted from traditional print/broadcast media to mobile devices and social media, TOFU/MOFU/BOFU was a lot more simple and more predictable, at least in a B2B context.
Before Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google, and iPhones became mainstream, B2B buyers were willing to engage with vendor sales teams very early on in the research process. Typically 10%-20% of the way through their buying decision.
Today, most B2B buyers have no practical reason to subject themselves to a selfish, vendor-centric sales process. Instead, most B2B buyers drive all the research and vendor comparisons completely on their own through content they discover on search and social.
And as a result, these B2B buyers typically will not engage sales teams -- if they have to at all -- until they're at least 60%-80% of the way through their research and evaluation process. So what's most important -- rather than thinking BOFU/MOFU/TOFU -- is to think about how you're going to get found by the right people, in the right places, at the right time, and in the right context -- and uncover revenue growth opportunities that they’re currently missing.
I focus on five building blocks to set companies up for success in this environment:
Companies that do content marketing well create invaluable brand equity with their future customers and have enormous influence over how their prospects navigate the research and purchase decision.
By definition, companies doing this well are virtually guaranteed to be on the shortlist.
When you do this well enough, their companies often become the entire shortlist (a shortlist of one :-) because your content has effectively neutralized the competition. This helps sales teams close deals faster without compromising on pricing or other key terms.
Also, see How to Sell Sales Software to Sales Directors.
Are you on a B2B sales team? How is your team keeping up with changes in buyer behavior? Let me know in the comments below.
And if your sales team needs help keeping up with changes in B2B buyer behavior, be sure to enroll now in our free 7-day eCourse: Go-to-Market Strategy 101 for B2B SaaS Startups and Scaleups.