(Repost) Report: Complex IT purchases most influenced by peers

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130709/WEB07/307099999/report-complex-it-purchases-most-influenced-by-peers&utm_source=itm&utm_medium=email&utm_content=editorial&utm_campaign=itm

We've always suspected that complex IT purchases require a lot of due diligence, but this study as reported in B2B magazine shows the importance of a peer review network.  Interestingly, it also shows the influence of social media--Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter-as being supplementary avenues for information.

With the advent of the internet, we've seen influence studies that show company websites, industry articles, and other published, public domain materials as greatly influencing the buy of products and services. No longer is a face to face meeting necessary, or desired.  Consumers are taking it into their hands to research when and how they want, and it's up to us as suppliers to ensure that our products and messages are first, spot on to their needs, and secondly, available when they need it.  It's not a 'new world' as much as a new method of ensuring that the tools our customer needs are accessible and discoverable, allowing them to make the right decision.