How Businesses Can Educate and Connect with Buyers Through World Events [Endless Customers Podcast Ep. 56]

About This Episode

As the world navigates a shifting economic landscape, one thing has become clear – the need for businesses to thoughtfully educate and connect with their buyers is more important than ever. In this insightful episode of the Endless Customers podcast, Alex Winter sits down with Mandy York, a video and content trainer at IMPACT, to explore how companies can effectively navigate this challenge.

The backdrop for this discussion is the mix of world events unfolding – from upcoming elections and economic uncertainty to natural disasters like hurricanes. These factors, York explains, are significantly impacting the mindset and purchasing behavior of buyers.

“If I as a consumer am sitting here thinking, ‘My gosh, my grocery bill was just $500 and the kids are going back to school, so they need new school clothes. And, you know, my job laid off people a few weeks ago. So now I’m worried about that. Am I really going to throw down $15,000 – $30,000 on a new HVAC system unless I have no other choice?’ The answer to that is no,” York says.

This economic pressure requires businesses to take a more empathetic, educational approach when connecting with buyers. Rather than solely focusing on aggressively selling high-ticket products and services, York emphasizes the need to provide a range of options that cater to the realities buyers are facing.

“We as businesses have to start educating them about the various options,” she explains. “Could you encourage trust by saying, ‘Hey, we know that things are tough right now in the economy and most of our customers are not going to be buying this top-of-the-line HVAC system. Here’s a more budget-friendly option that you should look at.’ Those things, they go a long way.”

This mindset shift is crucial, as York notes that many businesses tend to lose sight of the bigger picture when they’re so fixated on making the sale. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of approaching content and sales conversations through the lens of genuinely helping people make the right choice – one that they’ll still be happy with months down the line.

“I want somebody that maybe right now, while the economy is tough, they come to you and they buy an HVAC system refresh where you go in and clean the whole thing out and spruce it up and help that system last three or four more years. And then three or four years from now, they buy the $30,000 system from you,” York says. “I want that repeat business long-term versus we talk them into buying a $20,000 HVAC unit today and then never hear from them again because they felt gross about it.”

This advice extends beyond the HVAC industry – York has seen similar dynamics play out across various B2B sectors, from SaaS and payroll to human resources. The key, she says, is to stay attuned to the specific challenges and priorities of your target audience, which may be shifting in response to larger world events.

“Whenever I sit down each week with a client, I think about location, where are they at and what have I heard on the news about that location this week?” York explains. “If I’ve got a roofing person that has a business in Florida, the first thing I’m going to say is, ‘Do we have content out about damage from Hurricane Debby? Specifically, is there content and education sitting there, whether that be written, video, podcast, whatever you made, do you have something live on that website right now that is helping your customers navigate the hurricane that just hit?'”

This level of situational awareness and proactive content creation can make a significant difference in demonstrating a company’s trustworthiness and relevance to its buyers. But it goes beyond just reacting to the headlines – York also emphasizes the importance of considering demographic shifts within your target audience.

“If you work in something like benefits and payroll, the businesses tend to trend older in that sector. But I was like, you know, Gen Z doesn’t care as much at all, even as millennials, Gen X, boomers, whatever. They don’t care about parental leave as much as millennials did because a lot of Gen Z doesn’t want kids,” she says. “So why are we creating all this content targeted at new parents when the new parent-age-people are not having kids? Why are we not making stuff about remote work benefits for mental health. You know, all of these different things that are more pertinent to that specific demographic?”

Ultimately, York’s advice boils down to one key principle: meet your buyers where they are. This means staying informed about the issues and events impacting their lives, tailoring your content and messaging to their unique needs and preferences, and approaching every interaction with a genuine desire to help rather than to sell.

“The first and most crucial thing that you can do is talk about this with your team,” York recommends. “Let’s take this podcast and send it to your team, send it to your marketing people, your salespeople, you know, whoever, and say, ‘Hey, I want you to listen. And then I’ve put a 30-minute meeting on your calendar for next week. And once you sit down in that meeting, I want you guys to talk about things that are going on that impact your business, impact your people that you are selling to whatever those people are.'”

From there, York suggests identifying topics and content ideas that your team is genuinely passionate about – because that enthusiasm will shine through and resonate with your buyers. And when it comes to navigating sensitive issues like politics, she advises a measured, empathetic approach that acknowledges your limitations. You’re a business expert, not a world events expert, but you can still help and connect on a human level.

“You can definitely just say, ‘Hey, we too have been seeing lots of headlines about X, Y, and Z. And while we don’t feel that we’re the experts on politics, the economy, the, you know, laws, whatever, global warming, like we’re not the experts on that. We are the experts on how [this] pain point affects [your] customer,'” York explains.

By taking this holistic, buyer-centric approach, businesses can not only weather the current uncertainty but also build long-term loyalty and trust with their customers. As Mandy states, “the psychology of the modern day is a crucial skill in understanding how to market and sell products or services in this day and age. And if you’re falling behind on that or you’re ignoring it, that’s going to catch up to you and probably sooner than you think.”

Connect with Mandy York

Mandy York combines her experience as an award-winning educator and thriving business owner to help others take creative and actionable steps toward their content and video marketing goals.

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