B2B sales and marketing have been missing a beat.
We get so focused on the mechanics of funnels and customer journeys that something crucial gets overlooked
The human element.
While B2B means businesses selling to other businesses, the fact is that businesses don’t actually buy anything.
At the heart of every business decision, there’s a person making a choice. And like most choices people make, it isn’t all logic or data; it’s influenced by emotions, by human psychology.
Recognizing this, the sales funnel needs to be more than just a series of steps toward a purchase – it needs to be an emotional journey.
‘Psych’ Energy in the B2B Funnel
Imagine walking through your sales funnel, but this time, it’s not just about clicks and conversions. It’s about feeling the pulse of your potential clients, and understanding what drives them forward or holds them back.
Darius Contractor’s brilliant ‘Psych’ energy concept is a good one to apply here. Psych energy is a way to measure the emotional and cognitive forces that push prospects through the funnel.
In the B2B space, we can meld ‘Psych’ energy with psychological triggers.
Aligning strategies with psychological triggers can deliver a more interesting, human approach to any optimization exercise.
Let’s take the example of Slack, the collaboration platform.
Slack wants Alex.
Who is Alex?
Alex is a Project Manager.
Alex is looking for an ounce of harmony in the chaos of team management.
He’s a good colleague.
He’s about team synergy, and less clutter.
He’s a father, a husband.
He wants to be good at his job and go home to his family on time.
Alex is the reason Slack exists. They want to make him their biggest fan.
Alex finds Slack.
Thanks to the magic of SEO and ads, the stars finally align and Alex lands on Slack’s landing page.
Let’s imagine his journey through just this page, not through the entire funnel to keep things simple.
For everything that Alex likes, we’ll imagine him gaining psych energy (Psych +). And for everything that doesn’t sit well with him, we’ll imagine him losing psych energy (Psych -)
Step 1: Read the words “Made for people. Built for productivity.”
Psychological Trigger: Commitment/Consistency
Analysis: Alex knows his team HATES change. It promises to have been designed around people (Psych +). It also promises to make them more productive, but how? No detail. Alex is a man of detail and values technical depth. (Psych -)
Step 2: Notice the embedded video of the platform
Psychological Trigger: Credibility
Analysis: This is real, Alex can see it and doesn’t need to request a demo just to get a glimpse. He likes things that save him time. (Psych +)
Step 3: Read about there being no upfront cost. – “Slack is free to try”
Psychological Trigger: Reciprocity
Analysis: Alex is financially cautious in trying new tools. It aligns with Alex’s need to assess value before committing to a platform. (Psych ++)
Step 4: Read the description of tool integration and automation.
Psychological Trigger: Liking
Analysis: Directly addresses Alex’s goal to enhance productivity through integration with existing tools and automation capabilities. (Psych ++)
Step 5: Notice imagery
Psychological Trigger: Social Proof
Analysis: Alex doesn’t see any faces on this page. None that looks like him or his team. Somewhere at the back of his mind, it’s not clear whether real people like him and his team use this platform. (Psych -)
Step 6: Read social proof through testimonials.
Psychological Trigger: Social Proof
Analysis: Social proof addresses the skepticism Alex has about Slack’s efficacy in real-world applications (Psych +)
Step 7: Read the words “Slack securely scales up to support collaboration.”
Psychological Trigger: Authority
Analysis: Secure, scale, support, collaboration… all words that are music to Alex’s ears. (Psych +)
Time to tally!
Before hitting Slack’s page, Alex was on the fence. Now? He’s riding a solid +7 wave of Psych energy!
Okay, that’s massively oversimplifying what really happens but I’m sure you get the point.
To quantitatively measure Psych energy in the real world you’d need to
So, where would you start applying this? Every step of the funnel offers a chance to connect and convert.