**Clue: It involves the amygdala**
We as individuals stand to gain more from a successful B2B purchase decision than a B2C one, and as such they are far more emotional
Understanding the fundamental role of emotion in decision making is critical for anyone looking to successfully influence how their brand fares in a given purchase process –especially if your brand operates in the B2B space.
Consider the kinds of decisions consumers have to make when buying products. The consequences of a bad decision is typically very short term and resolvable.
Buy a bad burger? Have a lousy lunch that day. Buy a bad laptop? Frustrating, sure, but you can probably take it back, sell it, or just put up with it for a few years before inevitably buying a new one.
In contrast, B2B purchase decisions contain much greater scope for risk and reward. If we get the important ones right, great things can happen.
As champions of a great decision, we help the company grow and might receive special recognition, more respect, a promotion or pay rise. The sky’s the limit.
Making the right decisions in a business context is good for us, our families and our long-term future.
On the flip side, if we get a decision wrong, it can be disastrous. It can cost us our jobs, our income. We can lose people's respect, be overlooked for a promotion or moved sideways.
The potentially long-lasting consequence of a poorly judged B2B purchase decision means the risk involved is far greater than when looking to buy the new Apple watch, or even the latest Audi.
Studies have shown that as the perceived risks of a purchase decision increase, so too does the strength of the emotional connection with the brand who manages that risk for you.
It turns out that B2B is incredibly emotional – far more so, in fact, than B2C. With the heightened sense of risk impacting us emotionally B2B customers feel more closely connected to brands than consumers (see Figure 9 from Gartner, right).
According to CEB, 71% of buyers who see personal value in a B2B purchase will end up buying the product or service and 68% will pay a higher price.
Thinking back to the elephant and the rider, B2B decisions are at the mercy of the elephant, and the rider is just that – along for the ride. In fact, the data shows the elephant has twice as much influence as the rider:
