The B2B buyer’s journey is changing fast. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all marketing and sales strategies that tout one undifferentiated service after the next. B2B buyers now demand personalised, relevant, and memorable experiences that align with their needs while capturing their trust. Businesses need to show customers that they understand them and are the best solution for them—those who don’t adapt accordingly risk being left behind.
Dentsu’s Superpowers Index 2024 reveals a shift in B2B buying behaviour worth noting; when it comes to making a purchase or partnering with a provider, personal decision drivers now outweigh professional ones.
This means buyers aren’t just looking for the most cost-effective or technically superior supplier anymore; they’re looking for brands they trust, that understand their unique challenges, and that can offer tailored solutions.
For contract manufacturers—whether in electronics, pharmaceuticals, contract packing, or precision engineering—this shift presents both a challenge and a massive opportunity. By adopting a personalised, adaptive Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy, you can forge stronger relationships, accelerate sales cycles, and gain a competitive edge in a market where it’s difficult to stand out.
A personalised, adaptive GTM strategy is an approach to sales and marketing that tailors messaging, engagement tactics, and experiences to individual buyers or accounts. It relies heavily on data, technology, and deep customer understanding to ensure that every interaction is relevant and valuable.
Instead of treating all customers the same, a personalised GTM strategy recognises that different decision-makers within an organisation have different priorities. A procurement officer in a medical device company will have vastly different concerns than an R&D engineer in an electronics OEM. Customising outreach, content, and engagement to each of these roles is what sets adaptive GTM apart from traditional approaches.
71% of B2B buyers and influencers want suppliers to spend more time understanding their challenges and tailoring solutions accordingly. Despite this, only around 39% of B2B buyers feel that brands are successfully diagnosing their needs and offering personalised solutions.
The average number of decision-makers in B2B purchases is rising (between 6 and 15), making the buying process longer and more complicated. At the same time, satisfaction across the B2B customer journey remains low, with many buyers feeling that brands fail to differentiate themselves.
Companies that implement ABX strategies—where marketing and sales efforts are personalised at an account level—see significant benefits, including higher contract values and improved Net Promoter Scores (NPS). However, only 5% of B2B purchase experiences currently meet this standard, meaning there is a huge untapped opportunity.
The first step is understanding the unique needs of different decision-makers in your target accounts. In the contract manufacturing space, this means segmenting buyers based on their role, industry, and pain points.
The C-suite cares about overall efficiency, risk reduction, and strategic partnerships. Messaging for them should highlight your reliability, compliance, and long-term cost savings.
Engineers and product developers focus on quality, technical capabilities, and ease of integration. They need detailed success stories, proof of concept demonstrations, and hands-on expertise.
Procurement and supply chain managers prioritise cost, lead times, and supplier reliability. Transparency, quality certifications, and supply chain resilience are critical for this audience.
Data-driven decision-making is at the core of personalised GTM strategies. Contract manufacturers must use CRM data, buyer intent signals, and past interactions to create hyper-relevant experiences that engage, convert, and retain customers.
Use analytics tools to monitor which website pages buyers visit, how long they stay, and what content they engage with. For example, if a prospect spends time on your PCB assembly services page, your follow-up should focus on your PCB capabilities, case studies, and pricing options.
Modern B2B buyers expect a seamless blend of digital and in-person interactions. A strong digital presence that complements face-to-face engagement can significantly shorten your sales cycles and add to your credibility.
Optimise your website with self-service tools like cost calculators, instant RFQ generators, and interactive product demos. These can also act as lead magnets to attract the right kind of high-quality leads your sales team is longing for.
Enhance virtual engagement with video consultations, live Q&A sessions, and AI-driven chatbots that can answer real-time technical queries 24/7. Supplement this with valuable resources such as detailed guides and topical blogs.
Strengthen post-sale relationships with bespoke onboarding content and dedicated account management strategies that are proactive and predictive; anticipate what your customers will need before they reach out. Take the time to tailor a proposed solution to make them feel top of mind to your customer service team and less likely to churn further down the line.
“Personalised” no longer needs to be synonymous with “time-consuming” or “over-servicing”. Advances in AI and automation now make it possible to deliver highly personalised experiences at scale, with minimal additional effort from your teams.
The shift toward personalised, adaptive GTM isn’t just another trend—it’s a fundamental change in how B2B buyers engage with suppliers. Contract manufacturers that fail to embrace this shift risk falling into the "sea of sameness" where differentiation is difficult, and price becomes the only deciding factor.
On the other hand, those who implement adaptive GTM strategies will improve customer satisfaction, drive higher deal values, increase loyalty, and stand out as true industry leaders.
The future of B2B success lies in meeting buyers where they are—with relevant, tailored, and seamless experiences. The question is: Will your contract manufacturing business be one of the brands that adapts and thrives or struggles to keep up?