How to Create a B2B Experience 

B2B experience includes every touchpoint a buyer or customer has with your company—from research and evaluation to purchase, onboarding, support, and expansion.

Strong experience directly affects revenue. When buyers struggle, they often choose competitors. Today’s buying process involves 6 to 10 people, each using multiple information sources. Your experience must serve different roles, over time, across channels.

Most buyers want to avoid sales calls when possible. That doesn’t mean removing sales. It means giving buyers control while offering expert help when needed.

Step 1: Map Your Current Buyer Experience

Conduct Journey Mapping Workshops

Bring together teams from marketing, sales, product, and customer success to:

• List all channels buyers use
  
• Identify key interactions
  
• Map team and system handoffs
  
• Note drop-offs or delays
  

Interview Buyers and Customers

Ask recent customers and lost deals about their experience:

• How did they first learn about your category?
  
• What helped or hurt during evaluation?
  
• Where did friction or confusion occur?
  

Analyze Quantitative Data

Review funnel metrics to spot breakdowns:

• Time to opportunity creation
  
• Conversion rates
  
• Web behavior patterns
  

Create Current State Journey Maps

Visualize each stage, touchpoint, pain point, and emotion. This shows where experience gaps are hiding.

Step 2: Design Your Target Experience

Define Experience Principles

Choose 3–5 principles that guide all decisions. Example: “Easy as buying from Amazon.”

Balance Digital and Human Interactions

Use self-service for routine tasks. Use expert help for complex decisions. Design for smooth handoffs.

Create Persona-Specific Experiences

Tailor content, demos, and interactions for each buyer role:

• Economic buyer (ROI, risk, pricing)
  
• Technical evaluator (security, integration)
  
• End user (usability, support)
  

Eliminate Friction Points

Remove blocks like gated content, unclear pricing, and long response times.

Step 3: Build Your Experience Infrastructure

Implement Core Systems

• CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot)
  
• Marketing automation (Marketo, HubSpot)
  
• Customer data platform (Segment, mParticle)
  
• Analytics (Google Analytics, Mixpanel)
  

Enable Self-Service Capabilities

Provide buyers with tools to:

• View pricing and product info
  
• Use interactive demos
  
• Manage accounts and billing
  

Implement Personalization Technology

Adapt web, email, and campaign content by:

• Role
  
• Industry
  
• Behavior
  
• Buying stage
  

Enable Seamless Channel Transitions

Ensure that buyers moving from web to chat to sales get a consistent experience.

Step 4: Create Exceptional Pre-Purchase Experiences

Make Information Accessible

Publish detailed product, pricing, implementation, and case study content.

Speed Up Response Times

Target <5-minute response for key actions. Use chatbots and automation where possible.

Simplify Vendor Evaluation

Provide comparison guides, ROI tools, and proof-of-concepts.

Enable Committee Buying

Create shareable links, stakeholder-specific content, and group meeting options.

Step 5: Optimize Post-Purchase Experience

Design Structured Onboarding

Assign onboarding owners. Define milestones. Track success metrics.

Build Proactive Support Programs

Monitor engagement and reach out before problems occur.

Create Expansion Opportunities

Track usage to spot upsell timing. Provide paths to expand accounts.

Turn Customers Into Advocates

Ask for reviews, build a community, and offer referral incentives.

Step 6: Measure and Optimize Continuously

Key Performance Indicators

Measure experience by:

• Conversion and win rates
  
• Cycle time
  
• Churn, expansion, retention
  
• Lifetime value
  

Implement Feedback Loops

Survey customers. Analyze wins/losses. Share learnings across teams.

Run Experience Experiments

Test changes and measure impact. Roll out what works.

Create Cross-Functional Alignment

Meet regularly, align goals, and celebrate shared wins.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Designing Around Internal Structure

Fix: Map the journey from the buyer’s view and align teams to it.

Forcing High-Touch on Buyers

Fix: Let buyers choose self-service when preferred.

Neglecting Post-Purchase

Fix: Invest in onboarding, support, and customer success.

Measuring Vanity Metrics

Fix: Focus on metrics tied to revenue and retention.

Creating Generic Experiences

Fix: Segment by persona, industry, and role.

Over-Complicating the Process

Fix: Simplify forms, procurement, and access to key info.

Getting Started: Your 90-Day Action Plan

Days 1–30: Assess Current State

• Map the journey
  
• Interview buyers
  
• Review data
  
• List experience gaps
  

Days 31–60: Design Target Experience

• Set principles
  
• Create new journeys
  
• Identify fast wins
  
• Align stakeholders
  

Days 61–90: Implement Improvements

• Fix 3 major friction points
  
• Launch onboarding improvements
  
• Add basic personalization
  
• Create dashboards
  

Conclusion

Great B2B experience is not optional. Buyers expect easy paths, tailored content, and responsive teams. Start by fixing what slows deals and frustrates customers. Build from there with clear systems, better content, and ongoing feedback.

FAQ

What is the difference between B2B experience and customer service?

B2B experience covers the full lifecycle: marketing, sales, onboarding, usage, and support. Customer service is only one piece of the full experience.

What should we prioritize first?

Fix high-friction pre-purchase issues like unclear info and slow responses. These changes drive fast revenue impact.

How do we balance self-service and sales?

Let buyers choose. Offer both self-service and sales engagement depending on complexity and buyer preference.

What metrics show ROI from B2B experience?

Look at pipeline influenced, win rates, cycle times, customer lifetime value, retention, and expansion.

How soon will we see results?

Fixes like improving web content or onboarding can show results in 30–60 days. Larger changes take 6–12 months.

What technology do we need?

Start with CRM, marketing automation, and analytics. Add personalization and success tools as you scale.

How do we support multiple stakeholders in one deal?

Create persona-specific content and allow for sharing. Build content that different roles can use to build consensus.

Is B2B experience worth it for small companies?

Yes. Small teams can move faster and offer better service. Focus on simplicity, speed, and personal support.

How do we align marketing, sales, and success teams?

Use shared tools and dashboards. Hold regular meetings. Create shared goals and customer journey ownership.

What’s the biggest mistake companies make?

Designing around internal silos. Always start with the buyer journey and align your teams around it.