Rethinking the B2B Buying Journey

The TL;DR

Feeling overwhelmed by outdated playbooks and rigid sales processes?

Kevin White (Common Room), Mac Reddin (Commsor), and Natalie Marcotullio (Navattic)—leaders in modern go-to-market strategies—dive deep into transforming your approach to align with today’s buyer expectations, leveraging cutting-edge signals, and fostering long-term relationships.

What’s working in B2B marketing:

ADOPTING A BUYER-FIRST APPROACH

Putting your buyer at the center isn’t just a trend—it’s a necessity. From understanding buyer signals to ensuring seamless experiences, aligning your sales process with buyer preferences can significantly boost engagement and conversions.

What’s not working in B2B marketing:

RELYING SOLELY ON MQLs AND SHORT-TERM METRICS

Focusing only on marketing-qualified leads and short-term gains can be a pitfall. Prioritizing pipeline metrics and long-term relationship building over vanity metrics fosters sustainable growth and deeper connections with your audience.

The key takeaways

• Empathy is Essential: Truly understanding and empathizing with buyers is the cornerstone of effective go-to-market strategies. While AI may support this in the future, it can't replace the nuanced understanding human empathy provides. This approach allows sales and marketing teams to connect deeply with buyers, addressing their needs and concerns, and fostering authentic, trust-based relationships.
• Proof Over Opinions: In go-to-market efforts, tangible proof and data are far more compelling than opinions. Presenting concrete evidence and real-world results builds trust and credibility with buyers. This data-driven approach enhances marketing campaigns' persuasiveness and supports informed strategic decisions, demonstrating our commitment to honesty and transparency.
• Signal-Based Strategies: Utilizing various buyer signals, such as LinkedIn engagement, website visits, and job changes, can significantly boost marketing and sales effectiveness. By understanding and acting on these signals, companies can tailor outreach to be more personal and relevant, increasing engagement and conversion rates. This ensures we meet our audience where they are, with the right message at the right time.
• Buyer-First Approach: Aligning the sales process with buyers' preferences is crucial. By addressing their pain points and simplifying their experience, we create a seamless and enjoyable journey. This buyer-first mentality leads to better outcomes and stronger relationships, showing buyers they are understood and valued, aligning with our commitment to being a trusted guide.
• Balancing Metrics: While short-term sales metrics are important, a sole focus on them can be limiting. Prioritizing long-term relationship building and high-quality leads ensures sustainable success. By emphasizing pipeline growth and conversion rates over vanity metrics, we foster deeper connections and achieve lasting results. This balanced approach supports steady growth and adapts to evolving market conditions, reflecting our resourceful and confident approach.

The things to listen for

[00:00] Intro 
[01:28] CRM stages create an inorganic buying process; trust buyers more 
[05:49] Ownership of go-to-market varies with company maturity 
[08:06] Changes in buyer behavior and competition affect go-to-market 
[11:16] Signal-based go-to-market strategies 
[14:56] Effective signals and how to use them 
[19:33] Focus on long-term relationships, not short-term sales goals 
[23:48] Buyer-first go-to-market 
[33:52] Balance short-term results with long-term value 
[39:20] Focus on pipeline rather than vanity metrics 
[44:25] Balance quantitative and qualitative feedback