It Ain’t Over ‘Till It’s Over? For 84% Of B2B Deals, That’s Before First Contact

“B2B selling teams are at a disadvantage.”

This stark fact — a reality most marketers are already plenty familiar with — ominously opens 6sense’s press release for its 2023 B2B Buyer Experience Report, which finds that 84% of deals are already decided by buyers before marketers even make first contact.

“84% of deals are won or lost before providers know they even exist,” the report says, adding that 83% of buyers initiate that first contact. “To achieve a meaningful advantage during the sales process, revenue teams should identify these hidden opportunities long before the 70% Constant, when buyers initiate contact.”

(Source: 6sense)

That constant, that buyers are already 70% of the way through their buying process by the time they engage, translates to roughly 8 months into the typical B2B deal, the report says. 

“The research makes it clear that B2B organizations should exert considerable marketing effort to create awareness and develop a relationship with members of the buying committee early in the buying process to create a competitive advantage,” the report says. 

That awareness can come in the form of thought-leadership content, one-on-one subject matter expert consultations, and educational events that provide value and potentially shorten the buying process.

“This early-stage positioning can reduce the number of vendors that buyers consider before they arrive at the 70% Constant,” the report says, “and affect which vendors are top-of-mind when it’s time to engage sellers.”