Why Some B2B Experiences Change Behavior And Others Don’t

# Don't

Buyers engage when an experience helps them accomplish something meaningful. Forrester research cited in the original piece shows that nearly half of buyers list pricing as a top input, and a substantial share point to interactive tools. Both types of inputs help buyers make complex decisions, compare alternatives, reduce perceived risk, and gain confidence in their choices. In short, they create practical value.

• Economic value: Helps justify investment or demonstrate business impact. Examples include ROI calculators and cost-breakdown tools that support internal approvals.
• Functional value: Simplifies a complex decision or guides a buyer to the next step. Assessments and interactive configurators are functional tools that reduce friction.
• Experiential value: Creates momentum and a sense of progress that keeps people participating. Well-designed onboarding flows and staged learning paths can sustain engagement.
• Symbolic value: Reinforces expertise, recognition, credibility, or belonging. Certifications, community recognition, and professional badges work here when they signal real status or competence.

Start with the behavior, not the badge

Successful organizations reverse the usual conversation. They first decide what behavior they want to encourage and what value will make the next action easier, then design the experience to deliver that value. Asking "What would make the next action easier, more valuable, or more meaningful for the customer?" produces more useful options than asking whether to add a leaderboard.

Points, badges, challenges, and leaderboards are not inherently useless. They can amplify the right value when paired with substantive benefits. A badge that only displays vanity metrics won't move a deal forward. A certification that stakeholders respect—because it evidences real skill or compliance—can accelerate internal approvals. The critical design choice is matching mechanics to the underlying value buyers care about.

Practical areas to apply this approach

• Customer advocacy programs: Focus on how advocacy helps members achieve business outcomes or professional recognition, not on accumulating points.
• Onboarding journeys: Map the essential actions that shorten time-to-value and design steps that deliver immediate functional or experiential gains.
• Events: Ask what attendees need to achieve and design sessions, tools, or follow-up activities that create measurable outcomes.
• Digital buying experiences: Prioritize tools that reduce uncertainty (pricing clarity, ROI models, interactive comparisons) rather than superficial engagement hooks.

When journeys become more complex, organizations have an opportunity to influence behavior in ways that reduce friction and increase confidence. Use one guiding question: what makes the next action easier, more valuable, or more meaningful for the buyer or customer? That question leads to targeted design decisions and avoids wasting effort on mechanics that look exciting but add little real value.

If you are evaluating engagement, onboarding, advocacy, event, or digital experience programs, compare proposed mechanics against the type of value they actually provide. Choose experiences that demonstrably help people move forward in their decision or usage journey.