DemandGen Reports

With the web now driving the majority leads and prospect engagement, BtoB organizations are presented with a unique opportunity to rethink selling processes to match the new patterns of buyer research, behavior and decision-making. With that said, marketers must implement more creative ways to guide buyers through a structured process, built on the careful selection of topics and timing to nurture the need for self-directed discovery, rather than ineffective push techniques.

Presented by ClickZ and Online Marketing Connect, The Online Marketing Summit (OMS) Regional & International Conference Tour, July 12 in Jersey City, NJ, explored buyer 2.0 and the increasingly larger role of the web in the buying journey.

The transformation of the BtoB buyer continues to evolve, as preliminary results from the DemandGen Report’s second annual research study, Inside The Mind of the BtoB Buyer, points to continued expansion of the sphere of influence and new factors shaping the decision-making process.

Based on preliminary findings, 53% of respondents indicated that they took more time to research and consider solutions, while 44% utilized a wider variety of sources to research their options. The early results also point to purchasing decisions becoming more of a “group effort,” as 30% of respondents indicated that more internal team members provided their input into decision process.