In the world of customer reviews, the common knowledge has dictated that the
most important types of review are those that focus on the business to consumer
relationships. That is, reviews that are created by a customer and focus on
a product that customer has purchased. An example might be an endorsement of
a company that offers a tent rental. Customers are more likely to rent
a tent from a company that has a large number of positive reviews from former
consumers.
The problem with business to consumer reviews, of course, is that they can
be quite subjective and therefore also highly suspect. While they remain one
of the most powerful marketing tools out there, many laypersons are just as
skeptical about a customer review endorsing specific companies as they are with any other form of advertising.
However, most businesses are aware that while the consumer relationship is
what ultimately drives the purchase of products and services, it is the business
to business relationship that tends to drive the economic vehicle. While business
to consumer transactions only occur once, at the end of the product cycle, business
to business transactions are likely to occur several times during the same cycle.
Think, for example, of pellets. The consumer is only really interested in the
pellets they purchase for a stove or some other purpose. However, the pellets
are just one part of a huge transaction chain that creates them. The business
that sells the pellets to the consumer had to buy the machines to make the pellets
from another business. In turn, that machine is the sum total of several different
parts (a mixer, power supplies, and so on) that have been created by ANOTHER
company. And the business to business cycle continues.
For that reason, customer reviews are just as important in the business to
business relationship as they are in the business to consumer relationship.
In fact, we could argue that business to business reviews should be emphasized
more than business to consumer reviews when it comes to marketing strategy.
Whether your company sells a brand of steel bender or any other part type piece,
it looks better from all ends if a proven business directly endorses that product.
Both consumers and other businesses will take that type of review very seriously.
This is, of course, just one benefit when it comes to the business to business
customer review, and one that we will explore further in this series of articles.
There are many reasons why using customer reviews can help build your product's
reputation with both consumers and other business. It doesn't matter if
you are producing wicker baskets or tin wraps
for burger stands; a product endorsed by another business is a product that
will continue to sell.
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