1.
Marketing Essentials
2022
Professor Steven Litt
@StrategySteven
Ready to be a Marketing professional?
Practical B2B Targeting
©2021 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

2.
Do take into account ‘who’ is getting the message ie their role.
Target
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
Buying Center
Gatekeeper
Buyer
End
User
Initiator
Influencer
Decider/
Approver
Promoter

3.
Buying Centre role impacts the type of info, amount of
detail & even the Reason To Believe (authentication
standards/sources) in messaging B2B programs eg
a Gatekeeper might need to be informed….
• your brand /company name (so that you’re not fully ‘unknown’ to them)
• that you make your goods domestically (if they’re averse to importing)
a Decider/Approver might need to be informed …
• that you accept transactions in domestic currency
• that you provide a certain warranty duration
a Buyer might need to be informed …
• what the product looks like (eg given a sample to try)
• a spec sheet
• order turnaround time
• delivery option, terms & timing
Buying Center role
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or pos

4.
Demographic; Geographic; Behavioural; Psychographic
Do these apply in B2B buys?
PERHAPS! But often not nearly as directly as in B2C targeting.
And they’re usually not nearly complete by themselves
Targets: 4 types of defining criteria
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

5.
If Emma is in charge of marketing new production
line equipment to snack food makers in Canada,
she might describe one possible Target as:
• Operation is located in Canada
(geographic)
• 50 employees or more
and…?
Target Descriptors

6.
Notice anything? What’s missing?
• Who she wants to reach ie their role in the Buying Centre
and…
• a 1st Buy, Repeat /Straight Buy ‘resupply/replenish), Modified Rebuy
• Size of Company (# of employees), Size of company in this market
• Whether they buy same/similar item elsewhere worldwide
• Industry Sector, Industry Type, Company Type
• Size of the purchase (in $)
• Level of service (delivery, warranty, installation, staff training,…)
• Conflict-Free status (current contractual/ownership driven
relationships)
• Solvency eg credit worthiness
Targets: 4 types of defining criteria
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

7.
If Emma is marketing production line equipment to
snack food manufacturers in Canada, she might
describe one possible Target as:
• Operation is located in Canada (geographic)
• 50 employees or more in Canada
And…
• NAICS code 31191 (Snack Foods)
• Has previously bought production equipment (not a first time equipment buyer)
• Not in default- free of liens
• Moody’s credit rating of XXX+
• Not owned by DuoLever Foods Inc. (who are contractually obliged to eg IBN Software Inc)
• Follow ISO practices
• Member in good standing of FMI https://www.fmi.org/
Target Descriptors

8.
Emma could go further than Targets.
Eg She might flesh out or bring to life a
fuller description of B2B prospect
She could create ‘personas’ or ‘avatars’→
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
Even for B2B, create & Use Avatars!

9.
Flesh out or bring to life a fuller
description of the Target →
Useful for:
• Deciding the type of ‘content’ to convey
(which info, priority, level of detail)
• Deciding on the most fitting Medium (media)
(where how when they can be reached)
• Ad messaging
• Promotion incentives
• Choice of a spokesperson, source of testimonial/authentication
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
Create & Use Avatars!

10.
Now create your own B2B avatars!
My Goals in my career:
____________
What’s I find vital in most
work decisions is ______
My level of understanding
of this category is….
My level of passion for this
category is….
Hi!
I’m XXX!
My reason for this purchase
is.. eg was forced to, as
encouraged to, build my
profile, help the firm
I get info on this type of
decision via…… past
colleagues, industry pubs,
trade shows, SoMe,…
The closest to this equivalent
product/service to this is…
My experience in this type
of buy… New to category,
new to country, rebuy,…
My ‘pain points’ include… not
knowing…, fearing…, lack info…
Something odd about my
buying process is…
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
What may be most vital in
this specific buying
decision is _______
A bias I may have is ___

11.
Now create your own B2B avatars!
My Goals in my career:
Survive this quarter
What’s I find vital in most work
decisions is playing it safe
enough that it doesn’t come back
to haunt me
My level of understanding of this
category is extensive…. ie ‘I got
this’
My level of passion for this
category is: Passion? It’s like
watching paint dry. Let’s get it
over with, already!
Hi!
I’m Pat
My reason for this purchase is...
Breakdown- help the Production Dept
who didn’t maintain past eqpmt
I get info on this type of decision
via…… past purchase experience, what
I read in industry newsletter
The closest to this equivalent
product/service to this is when I
bought Cassoli wrapper & Case
packers for Production Line in 2017
My experience in this type of
buy: a modified rebuy,… My ‘pain points’ … not knowing what
cost tradeoffs are justifiable for
expedited service
Something odd about my buying
process is that I’ll read absolutely
everything about every option
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
What is vital in this specific
buying decision: expedite service
to keep Production VP happy
A bias? an ex-colleague works for one
of the firms making this equipment

12.
Now create your own B2B avatars!
My Goals in my career:
Show’em what I got!
What’s I find vital in most work
decisions is making a name
quickly so I can move up
My level of understanding of this
category is minimal … but I’ve
got lots of confidence
My level of passion for this
category is: an OK chance to
demonstrate how new buying
approach can help the firm
Hi!
I’m Lee
My reason for this purchase is... New
Production Line in Oakville
I get info on this type of decision
via…… industry trade mags, my
mentor, the reps themselves
The closest to this equivalent
product/service to this is when I
bought Photocopier/Printers for the
Office a year ago
My experience in this type of
buy: a new buy
My ‘pain points’ … not knowing much
about the players, the products, any
unspoken End User needs (the
Production line)
Something odd about my buying
process is that I love demos
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
What is vital in this specific
buying decision: showing I’m
bold & resourceful without
finding a political landmine
Bias? I’m an Ivey Grad; and support
other Ivey grads. Also: I’m doubtful of
anything that’s Made In China

13.
Tip 1: Do your research!
You have their Linked In profile, know which school
& program they attended, which industry & other
groups they belong to, which topics they comment
upon, view which certifications they tout, etc.
This provides you tips about optimal message content, tone,
events/mediums they’re exposed to, sources they find more (or
less) credible, etc.
Tip 2: Don’t invent what you can borrow; eg if your firm has
‘company size’ brackets, use them! If not, use those from your
industry contact database, Scotts, StatsCan, US Census Bureau,…
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
B2B Targeting Tips

14.
Some unusual Buyer Quirks I’ve encountered
• If you say ‘everybody knows’ w/o citing data, they rule you out.
• If you don’t know where every component is made, they rule you
out
• If you don’t know which parts can be recycled and how, they rule
you out
• If you didn’t give them ‘special terms’, they rule you out
• If you didn’t answer their after-hours texts/calls, they rule you out.
• If your product didn’t rock in the (thoroughly gamed & discredited)
online reviews, they rule you out
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
B2B Targeting Tips

15.
SOURCES
● StrategySteven.com accessed March 2, 2021 strategysteven.com
● Litt, Steven ‘Applied Marketing Research: A Grad Student Reader’; 6th Edition,
TopHat, 2020
• Steven Litt, StrategySteven.com accessed February 15, 2021 strategysteven.com
• Cover photo courtesy of Mandy S Photography
• Thanks to Kathryn Faubert for the many awesome insights about
avatars; any errors are entirely my fault.
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.