2022 FIT Buyer Journey

Market Connections released the Federal IT (FIT) Buyer Journey at Government Marketing University’s GAIN 2022 event last week. The main takeaway for federal marketers, sales and solutions teams looking to influence their customers throughout the journey is to inform, inform, inform.

While different stakeholders come in and out throughout the entire journey from beginning (or needs identification stage) through end (vendor selection), the need remains the same. From the CIO through the end-user, all major stakeholders in the federal buyer journey need information to help educate them about your products and solutions in order to build trust.

The question is, what information are they looking for, where are they looking for it, and when do they need it. Each stakeholder has a different level of understanding of the technology, the challenges, agency needs, and the benefits your products or services provide. They also have different priorities of what is important for vendor selection.

For example, a senior executive like a CIO who may come in and out of the process at different stages is likely looking for bigger picture information about how your product/service is relevant to the agency. Meanwhile a procurement manager who plays a key role throughout the journey may be more focused on the cost, value, and return on investment. An IT manager who also plays a key role throughout the process may be more focused on how your product or service can help them overcome hurdles, create efficiencies, or serve technological needs.

Understanding who to engage and what information to provide through each of the step of the federal buyer journey is key in earning their trust.

Understand what they want

The FIT Buyer Journey provides insights into the type of information buyers want and where they go for this information. But it isn’t the complete picture.

The FIT Buyer Journey is a companion study to the FIT Persona Study we conducted in 2020. In that research, we dove deep into who government buyers are, regardless of their role. We looked at what motivates them and keeps them awake at night. That information combined with what we know about the buyer’s journey will help you map out a strategy to give them the information they want.

The FIT Buyer Journey presentation from the GAIN conference is available for download. The FIT Persona study is available for purchase. You can find both when you click this link.