Focus Research Team's insight of the week from our ongoing buyer surveys

What we have found in our research is that the buyers' preferred means of research tends to fluctuate, based on where they are in the sales cycle.

If you think of the typical funnel, or sales pipeline, it's easy to grasp that more people go in through the top, than come out the bottom. In other words, there will always be more opportunities than closes because prospects ultimately either find their way either through the funnel, or out of it.

The way the buyer researches can reflect this. We have found that the majority of people start with what's easy: getting online and doing a basic Google search. Some will go straight away to Trade publications or 3rd party publications, in search of whitepapers and general 'unbiased' information on the technology. Others might discuss their requirements internally, talking to colleagues, or department heads. Generally speaking, early buyers justify these platforms because "there are no strings attached!"

As interest increases, and the buyer must acquire specific types of information to proceed (i.e. pricing information, integration information, specific features), they will naturally seek out more engaging means of collecting information. Speaking with vendors is the most obvious example of 'active' research, because it answers these ^ critical questions: How much will it cost? Will it work with the what I have now? Does it have exactly what I'm looking for? Other examples of more active means of research would include platforms like demos, webinars, and even reaching out and speaking to other Users.

We have asked the question of how research changes throughout the buyer's progression through the sales cycle, and we repeatedly get responses supporting this basic premise. However, there is one notable exception: In a graph comparing 'active' vs. 'passive' buyers, we see this gradual shift from passive means of research to more active ones, except very often the percentage of buyers "speaking with vendors" is high for both types.

In some markets, the primary differentiating factor amongst products is Cost. Occasionally, the differentiating factor can be a specific feature, or compliance with a certain type of platform or system. But, when this is the case, speaking with vendors is one of the only ways to get a realistic idea as to whether or not the product could even be a prospective solution.

In a typical process of elimination (or stroll through the sales funnel), there comes a point when buyers must be able to cross vendors off their list in order to progress themselves. 'Passive' forms of research lead the buyer from knowing little to nothing about a [product, technology, market] to a more confident phase; A phase in which they have an understanding perforated with questions, when reading will no longer suffice, and they must get those questions answered!