Wednesday Wisdom: Out of Sight, (Almost) Out of Time - The 6sense Buyer Experience Report

The B2B Buyer is a group of around 9 to 10 individuals working together to purchase a solution for their organization. These groups spend the majority (70%) of their nearly year-long purchase journey researching providers and the intended solution before making direct contact with sellers.

The group is a united front, all reporting that they don't initiate contact until 70% of the way through their journey, regardless of their role in the purchase and their level of seniority.

When the time comes, buyers are the ones to initiate contact with sellers 83% of the time. They aren’t responding to emails or calls; they are deciding when, how, and with whom to engage. Even the 17% who said they responded to a seller communication did so at the 70% point. Buyers engage when they are ready and not before.

Who are they reaching out to? An average of four vendors, with each buying team member reporting double-digit interactions with each vendor they evaluate, regardless of their role in the purchase. When they do engage, they told us that they have their first contact with the vendor that ultimately wins the deal 84% of the time.

What this really means is that buyers have made a shortlist, ordered it, and begin contacting vendors starting at the top of that list. Confirming how much of the decision is made, buyers also said that at the 70% mark, they have largely or completely set their requirements 78% of the time.

This is what we learned from our research on nearly 1,000 B2B buyers last year. And we're doing the research all over again this year.

To get the full story and a ton more insights, our 2023 Buyer Experience Report is available via the link below. We cannot wait to expand and report on this research later this year.

@Kerry