A sales team has been working on a deal for months. The product is perfect for the client. Great conversations have been had with the contact.The ROI is clear. The signals they are sending – their B2B buying behavior so to speak – is signaling: “We want this and we need this.” They’re ready to close. Then, out of nowhere, the dreaded email arrives: “We’ve decided to go with another vendor.” Welcome to the world of the up-and-down B2B buying process.
What went wrong?
If this scenario sounds painfully familiar, it’s a common experience. B2B selling has become increasingly complex and – while highly profitable – also frustrating at times. The old playbook doesn’t work anymore. Buyers are more informed, more cautious, and often more elusive than ever before.
Kerry Cunningham from 6Sense shared a story that illustrates this perfectly on “Marketing, Demstyfied:”
“We had a client who was losing deals left and right,” Kerry recalls. “Their sales team was working harder than ever, but win rates were plummeting. When we dug into the data, we found something shocking. Their potential customers were 70 percent through their decision process before ever talking to a salesperson. By the time the sales team got involved, it was often too late.”
Many B2B organizations fall into the same trap, adhering to outdated sales practices in a rapidly evolving market. They fail to recognize that the rules of engagement have fundamentally changed.
But here’s the good news: once the new rules are understood, it’s possible to adapt and start winning again. This article will explore the biggest mistakes B2B sellers make and how to avoid them. It will reveal the strategies that top performers use to navigate the complex world of modern B2B buying.
Ready to stop losing deals and start closing more business? Let’s dive in.
The new B2B buying reality
B2B buying has transformed dramatically. No longer is a single decision-maker calling the shots. On average, ten people are now involved in a B2B purchase.
“Getting 10 people to agree on anything, even lunch, is hard,” Kerry said. “Just buying lunch as a group is difficult.”
Group decision-making significantly extends the buying cycle. The typical journey now lasts 11 months – almost a year of researching, discussing, and deciding. Such an extended timeline presents both challenges and opportunities for savvy sales teams.
Another major shift is in who initiates contact. Traditionally, salespeople reached out to potential customers. Now, the tables have turned. Buyers are the ones reaching out most of the time (83 percent), and they typically wait until they’re about 70 percent through their decision process before engaging with a salesperson.
The transformed B2B buying environment creates a set of unique challenges for companies. Understanding these obstacles is crucial for overcoming them and thriving in the modern B2B sales landscape.
Read next: 5 B2B Marketing KPIs You Should be Looking At
Challenges of modern B2B selling
The first hurdle is the invisible buying process. Buyers conduct extensive research independently before reaching out to vendors. This makes it difficult for sales teams to influence decisions early in the process when preferences are often formed.
Coordinating multiple decision-makers presents another significant challenge. Each member of the buying group may have different priorities, concerns, and levels of influence. Addressing all these varied needs is crucial for closing the deal.
Information overload is another obstacle. Kerry shares a striking statistic: during the buying process, a team typically interacts with about 4,000 content interactions when evaluating four vendors. The overwhelming amount of content makes it increasingly difficult for messages to stand out and resonate with potential buyers. Cutting through this noise requires a strategic and targeted approach to content creation and distribution.
Lastly, differentiation has become more challenging than ever. With abundant information at their fingertips, buyers can easily compare multiple vendors simultaneously. Standing out in this crowded field requires a strategic approach to positioning and communication.
Use these tips to make your content stand out
Strategies for success
Understanding these challenges is just the beginning. Now, let’s explore strategies to help navigate this new B2B sales landscape successfully.
Embrace digital-first engagement
With buyers conducting most of their research online, a robust digital presence is no longer optional – it’s essential. This goes beyond simply having a website. A comprehensive digital ecosystem that guides and nurtures potential buyers throughout their journey is crucial.
“You’ve got to do everything you can to know which accounts are in a buying process, but not ready to talk to you, and make sure that they get everything that could possibly help them to prefer you as a vendor,” Kerry said.
To achieve this, develop content that addresses different stages of the buying process. Optimize online presence for search engines to ensure visibility when buyers are researching. Social media sharing is another opportunity to stand out. Implement tools to track website engagement and identify high-intent visitors.
This is exactly why we create content using the Create Once, Publish Everywhere Model here at Growgetter. We produce it once for the web and then hack it up for other platforms, including social media and email. Everything is optimized for the different channels.
Create content for diverse stakeholders
Given the group nature of B2B buying decisions, it’s crucial to create content that speaks to various stakeholders within the buying group. This can include addressing the needs of often-overlooked roles like IT and finance.
“If you have a technology solution, when IT folks get involved in purchases, they get stretched out, they get longer, the number of interactions that has to happen goes way up,” Kerry explained. And I think that’s because for a lot of especially in the SaaS world, we really don’t do a good job of addressing the IT kinds of questions upfront.”
To address this, develop buyer personas for all key stakeholders typically involved in purchasing the product. Create targeted content that addresses the specific concerns and priorities of each persona. Ensure website navigation allows different stakeholders to easily find relevant information.
Read next: The New Era of Holistic Marketing: Embracing change for sustainable growth
Prioritize education over immediate sales
With buyers delaying engagement with sales teams, the focus should shift from immediate sales pitches to education and nurturing. The goal should be to position the company as a trusted advisor and the preferred vendor when buyers are ready to engage.
Content marketing helps here. Create educational resources like whitepapers, eBooks, and webinars that provide genuine value without asking for anything in return. Use marketing automation to nurture leads with relevant content over time. Train the sales team to act as consultants rather than traditional salespeople, ready to provide value at every interaction.
Rethink content-gating strategies
Many companies gate their best content, requiring contact information in exchange for access. However, this approach may be counterproductive in the modern B2B buying landscape.
“Eight out of 10 people on a typical buying team will never fill out a form on your website,” Kerry said. If all valuable content is gated, most of the buying team may never see it.
Consider making more high-value content freely available. When gating content, use progressive profiling to gather information gradually rather than all at once. Reserve gating for truly exclusive or high-value offerings that justify the exchange of contact information.
Embrace transparency
Transparency becomes a powerful differentiator. After all, buyers can research just about anything online. This includes being more open about pricing and even acknowledging competitors.
“Make it clear to your buyer, which other small set of competitors they should be looking at,” Kerry said. “And how you compare to them.”
Consider providing clear pricing information (or at least pricing ranges) on the website. Create comparison guides that honestly assess strengths and weaknesses against top competitors. Be upfront about what types of customers or use cases are the best fit for the solution. Share authentic case studies and customer testimonials that provide realistic expectations of results.
Listen next: Customer journey content that works – a chat with Sara Giddens
Leverage data and predictive analytics
With much of the buying journey happening invisibly, leveraging data and analytics becomes crucial for identifying and engaging potential buyers at the right time.
Invest in intent data solutions to identify accounts showing buying signals. Use predictive analytics to score leads and prioritize outreach. Implement account-based marketing (ABM) strategies for high-value target accounts. Align sales and marketing teams around shared data and insights to ensure a cohesive approach to customer engagement.
Facilitate consensus building
Given the group nature of B2B buying, it’s important to help champions within the organization make the case for the solution. This means providing resources and tools that facilitate internal discussions and decision-making.
Create internal pitch decks or proposal templates that buyers can use to advocate for the solution. Develop ROI calculators or other tools that quantify the value of the offering. Provide resources that address common objections or concerns from different stakeholders. Offer case studies or references that closely align with the prospect’s industry or use case.
Adapting to the new B2B buying reality
The B2B buying landscape has undergone a seismic shift, and sales and marketing strategies must evolve accordingly. By understanding the complexities of modern buying behavior – from extended timelines and multiple stakeholders to buyer-initiated engagement and late-stage sales involvement – companies can better position themselves for success.
The key lies in adapting to this new reality rather than fighting against it. Embrace digital-first engagement, creating multi-stakeholder content, prioritizing education over immediate sales, rethinking content accessibility, leveraging transparency, harnessing data and analytics, and optimizing for consensus-driven decisions.
It’s possible to transform the process to match the realities of modern B2B buying behavior. In doing so, companies will not only improve their chances of winning deals but also build stronger, more trusting relationships with customers – setting the stage for long-term success in the evolving B2B landscape.
The goal isn’t to make a quick sale. It’s to become a trusted partner in customer success. By truly understanding and adapting to B2B buying behavior, companies can position themselves as the clear choice when buyers are ready to make their decision.