About the Episode:
In this episode of Science of B2B, Kerry Cunningham explores the true nature of the B2B buying process, revealing that buyers are far from blank slates—they enter with prior knowledge, preferences, and experience. Drawing from the 2024 Buyer Experience Study, Kerry highlights that buying journeys are long, complex, and driven by internal debates among large buying groups who already know most of the vendors they’ll consider. Success hinges on enabling your champions to win those internal arguments. The episode reframes marketing’s role: it’s not about education, per se, but about helping buyers help you win before you even know they’re looking.
Topics Covered
The Inner Workings of the B2B Buying Process
- Today’s episode dives into the complex dynamics of B2B buying, based on insights from the 2024 Buyer Experience Study and the report “The Critical Period for B2B Buying.”
- A typical $250K B2B buying process lasts about 11.5 months, involves a buying group of 11 people, and includes evaluation of 5 vendors.
- The number of vendors considered is the biggest factor in the complexity and length of the buying journey.
Why the Number of Vendors Matters
- Reducing vendor count from 5 to 3.5 can shorten the journey from 11.5 to 9 months and reduce group size.
- Buyers already know most vendors on day one—typically 4 of the 5 they’ll evaluate—making early-stage outreach largely ineffective.
The Real Buying Process: A Battle of Opinions
- Buying is less about discovery and more about internal negotiation and consensus-building.
- Each group member brings experience, opinions, and biases from past interactions with vendors.
- The first 70% of the buying process is a long internal debate about which vendor to select.
- Consensus typically forms around month 8, well before any vendors are contacted.
Marketing’s Role: Enabling Internal Consensus
- Your messaging must go beyond primary personas to influence the entire buying group.
- Some members may be skeptical of cutting-edge solutions and more focused on safety or stability.
- If you don’t already have trusted relationships, you’re unlikely to get access to the buying group before they’ve made a decision.
Validation and Confirmation Bias
- The last 30% of the journey is about validating a decision that’s already been made.
- Even vendors involved at this stage may be participating in a process with a predetermined winner.
Why Deals Stall or Fail
- According to LinkedIn’s B2B Institute, 30–40% of failed buying processes stall due to a lack of consensus.
- Vendors must equip their champions to win internal debates—not just educate on features and benefits.
Takeaways
- Prioritize buying group consensus: Equip your champions with tools and messaging they can use to win over other stakeholders.
- Target secondary personas: Go beyond decision-makers and craft messaging that resonates with skeptical or risk-averse stakeholders.
- Assume prior knowledge: Most buyers already know your category and your competitors—skip the basics and focus on differentiation.
- Focus on pre-consensus influence: Build trust early and aim to become the default choice before vendor conversations begin.
- Monitor competitive density: Understand how many vendors are being evaluated—less competition shortens cycles and improves win probability.
Insights Surfaced
- Vendor count is destiny: Simply increasing or decreasing the number of vendors evaluated significantly affects deal complexity and timeline.
- You’re likely known—but not always loved: Prior awareness often comes from lost deals, so familiarity doesn’t guarantee favorability.
- Consensus is king: Internal buying group alignment, not education, is what drives progress and determines outcomes.
- Late-stage entry is rarely a win: By the time vendors are contacted, the preferred choice is usually already made.
- Non-purchase is common: A major portion of failed deals comes from indecision, not competition—meaning help in decision-making is as valuable as solution features.
Future Topics
- Buyer Experience Study
- The 70/30 Buying Journey
- Same Dance, Different Shoes: What buyers like and do during their buying journeys
- The Lead-based Approach Has Failed Us: It’s Time To Move On
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