In the world of business, the only constant is change—and it’s never been faster than it is today. As Justin Trudeau put it, "The pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again." Think about that for a second. What we’re witnessing in B2B sales is nothing short of a whirlwind, a complete transformation driven by digital technologies that have redefined how we attract, engage, and convert leads. If you’re sticking to the old ways, you’re already being left behind.
Here’s the new reality: the buyer holds all the cards. In fact, 57% of the buyer’s journey is completed before they even think about contacting a vendor. That’s right—more than half of their decision-making happens without you in the room. The days when your sales team could guide a prospect from awareness to decision with perfectly timed pitches? Gone.
Today’s buyers are self-educating. They’re scouring the internet, reading blogs, comparing options, and watching videos long before they make contact. And why not? The explosion of online content gives them the resources they need to become experts in what they’re buying. Google tells us that 70% of B2B buyers watch a video during their purchasing process, meaning that your content has to be everywhere they are—because they’re doing the research on their terms, not yours.
“In the world of Internet Customer Service, your competitor is only one mouse click away.” That quote from Doug Warner couldn’t be more relevant. The buyer journey today isn’t some neat, linear process; it’s more like a hopscotch through different channels. One moment, your prospect is reading a blog post, then they’re watching a webinar, then they’re scanning LinkedIn—and they expect you to meet them at every one of those stops.
The numbers back it up: 73% of B2B buyers use more than one channel when making a purchase decision. So, a single-channel strategy just won’t cut it anymore. Your messaging needs to be consistent and cohesive, no matter where the buyer interacts with your brand. That means social media, video, blogs, emails, and more, all working together to guide prospects through their journey. If you’re not there, your competitor will be.
This isn’t just a shift in technology—it’s a shift in how businesses connect and operate. We’re in the middle of a fundamental change, and you need to do more than understand it—you need to embrace it. This starts with data. Today’s marketers have unprecedented access to insights about buyer behavior, and if you’re not using that data to inform your strategy, you’re flying blind. It’s time to double down on content that educates, nurtures, and moves prospects closer to trust.
Automation is your ally here. Sophisticated tools can help manage and optimize engagement across channels, ensuring you stay connected with buyers at every stage of their journey. Chris Walker, one of the leading voices in B2B demand generation, says it best:
“The modern buyer doesn’t want to be sold to—they want to be helped.”
So your job? Help them. Provide value at every step, across every platform, and make their decision easy.