The B2B buyer journey has entered a new era, yet many vendors are still playing by the old rules. By the time B2B buyers start reaching out to sales representatives, 81% already have a preferred vendor, according to a survey by 6sense. Another study shows that 69% of B2B software buyers may not engage with a salesperson until they’ve made a purchasing decision. This iteration of the buyer journey is independent, nonlinear and challenging to measure. It’s also a future that companies must prepare for.
How—and why—are buyers making informed decisions with minimal input from sales teams? What does this shift reveal about the current buyer journey?
B2B Buyers Value Independent Research And Peer Networks
Buyers are increasingly turning to peer networks and private communities rather than vendor-controlled sources to get information and make purchasing decisions. They turn to trusted colleagues, online forums, Slack groups and invite-only communities to compare notes and inform their decisions. According to Reddit, technology decision makers “heavily use the site for peer reviews.”
These are spaces where vendors often don’t appear at all—either because they’re not welcome or because they haven’t figured out how to do so. Another complicating factor is that many of the channels constitute what marketers call dark social: channels where content is impossible to track, and companies have no way of knowing whether their name pops up in a conversation.
The Forces Behind This Shift
One of the forces fueling this shift is growing skepticism of vendors. A 2024 survey of more than 600 B2B buyers found that 61% prefer a “rep-free” buying experience that avoids interaction with company representatives altogether.
The rise of generative artificial intelligence certainly hasn’t helped vendors earn credibility. Thanks to AI, a one-person company can now generate content that, at least on a surface level, seems comparable to the output from an enterprise-level marketing team. That democratization of content creation might be good for small companies, but it also creates noise and confusion for buyers. When every company suddenly appears credible, how do you vet your options? It’s no wonder buyers are turning to peer networks to help them decide what vendors to trust.
Changing demographics are another factor to consider. Millennials and Gen Z represent an increasingly large percentage of B2B buyers. These digital natives are comfortable gathering and validating information on their own, and they expect a certain degree of convenience. They want seamless digital experiences where they can seek out the content they want, when and how they want it, which puts an onus on companies to create content in all the channels and formats their buyers might prefer.
Welcome To The Era Of The Nonlinear Buyer’s Journey
The traditional buyer’s journey—awareness, consideration, decision—has given way to something more chaotic. Today’s buyer’s journey is less of a straight path and more of a choose-your-own-adventure. A buyer might read a white paper, ignore your outreach for months, stumble on a peer discussion about your product or service, and reengage after they’ve already narrowed the field on their own.
Now add in the multiple stakeholders that comprise most B2B buying groups, who might stretch across different departments, locations and time zones. The once-linear buyer’s journey now includes several buyers from a single company, each with their own needs and preferences, and each on their own unique journey of independent research and peer-to-peer engagement. If that sounds overwhelming, well, it’s because it is.
The first practical shift you must make is a mental one. It’s tempting to hold out for a time when the buyer’s journey returns to “normal,” but this is the new normal. If anything, I think we can expect to see more dramatic changes in the years ahead. Now is the time for organizations to adjust to the current reality and prepare for the future.
A great way to start is by conferring with your marketing and sales teams and asking key questions:
• What changes have they seen in your company’s buyer journey?
• What tactics are proving less effective?
• What sources do your buyers turn to for guidance and advice?
• How have the buying groups in your market shifted?
• What are the top-of-mind considerations for your buyers?
• How can you reimagine and resource differently for this new era?
Shifts of this caliber typically don’t reverse course. The companies that are ready and willing to adapt their approach (one of those companies should be yours) are generally the ones that win.