How Decision-Making Happens Before You’re In The Frame

Why B2B Tech Leaders Are Losing Deals: Understanding the Buyer’s Journey and How to Turn It Around

You’ve likely noticed a pattern where buyers seem to have already made up their minds about who they want to work with before they even approach your company.

As a B2B tech leader, it’s deeply frustrating to receive a steady stream of leads, conduct engaging demos, and field numerous inquiries, only to see deals fall through at the last minute

This trend isn’t just disheartening—it’s a significant barrier to growth and success in an increasingly competitive market. Understanding why this happens and what you can do to counteract it is critical to turning things around.

The New Reality - Buyers Are Making Decisions Before They Reach You

According to research from 6sense Inc In their 2023 Buyer Experience Report -

"today’s B2B buyers are not only more informed than ever before, but they’re also making crucial decisions well before they ever engage with your sales team, and that 70% of the buyer's journey is complete before a buyer even reaches out to a sales representative."

This means that by the time they request a demo or respond to an outreach, they’ve likely already researched your competitors, read reviews, and even chosen their preferred solution.

Gartner for Marketing & Communications echoes this finding, noting that -

B2B buyers now spend only 17% of their time meeting with potential suppliers.

The remainder of their journey is spent researching independently, relying on digital content, peer recommendations, and industry influencers. When they do engage with a company, they’re not looking to be sold to—they’re looking to validate a decision they’ve already made.

The Pain of Missed Opportunities

For tech leaders, this new buyer behavior creates a painful scenario. You invest time and resources into generating leads, setting up demos, and crafting proposals, only to be met with silence or a polite decline. It’s not that your product or service isn’t a good fit—it’s that the buyer has already mentally committed elsewhere by the time they reach you.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that your company’s marketing efforts might be misaligned with what buyers need at the early stages of their journey. Traditional outbound marketing and sales strategies are increasingly ineffective because they target buyers too late in the decision-making process. As a result, your sales team is left chasing leads that are, in reality, already dead ends.

How to Align Sales and Marketing for Success

To close the gap between lead generation and sales, B2B tech leaders need to focus on the entire buyer journey, particularly the stages that happen before direct contact with your sales team. Here are some strategies to consider:

• Enhance Your Digital Presence: Given that buyers are conducting most of their research independently, your digital footprint needs to be robust and informative. High-quality content that addresses the specific needs and pain points of your target audience is crucial. This includes blogs, white papers, case studies, and videos that educate potential buyers on how your solutions can address their challenges.
• Invest in Account-Based Marketing (ABM): ABM allows you to target specific accounts with personalized content and messaging, reaching potential buyers earlier in their journey. By working closely with your marketing team or an experienced partner like Digital Clarity, you can create campaigns that resonate with key decision-makers long before they reach out to competitors.
• Data-Driven Insights: Utilize tools and platforms like 6sense to gain insights into buyer intent. By understanding what your potential customers are searching for and engaging with online, you can tailor your marketing efforts to meet them where they are, rather than where you hope they’ll be.
• Close Sales-Marketing Gaps: Ensure your sales and marketing teams are working in lockstep. Marketing should be feeding sales with leads that are not just warm, but informed and ready to engage based on their previous interactions with your content. Conversely, sales teams should be providing feedback on which marketing strategies are resonating with buyers and which aren’t.

Turning the Tide with Strategic Marketing

The reality is clear - B2B buyers are in control of their journey, and many have already decided by the time they engage with your sales team. This shift in behavior is challenging, but it’s not insurmountable. You can regain control and close more deals by aligning your marketing and sales strategies, focusing on early-stage buyer education, and utilizing data-driven insights.

However, achieving this alignment and crafting the right strategy can be complex, requiring expertise that might not be available in-house.

Talk to us

This is where partnering with an experienced marketing firm like Digital Clarity becomes invaluable. With a deep understanding of the B2B tech landscape and a proven track record in driving results, Digital Clarity can help you reach buyers early, influence their journey, and turn inquiries into sales.

To learn more, contact reggie.james@digital-clarity.com