B2BInsider

Why Booking B2B Meetings Has Become Significantly More Difficult

B2BInsider — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:12:55 GMT

Many B2B organizations are currently experiencing the same pattern:

Fewer meetings.
Lower response rates.
Reduced access to decision-makers.

The common explanations point to increased competition, longer sales cycles, or “harder-to-reach” buyers.

However, both data and buyer behavior suggest a different conclusion.

The issue is not primarily the market.
It is …

The Real Shift in B2B Sales: From Effort to Visibility.

B2BInsider — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:39:09 GMT

After 30 years in B2B sales, the most common assumption I hear is that selling has become more difficult.

Response rates are lower.
Cold outreach is less effective.
Access to decision-makers feels restricted.

These observations are valid. But the conclusion is not.

B2B sales has not become harder in the traditional sense. It has become structurally different.

Join my new subscriber chat

B2BInsider — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:41:07 GMT

Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication: B2BInsider subscriber chat.

This is a conversation space exclusively for subscribers—kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post questions and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.

Join chat

LinkedIn as a Distribution Layer for B2B Demand

B2BInsider — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:00:37 GMT

LinkedIn is often treated as a content channel.

In reality, it is a distribution system.

Its value lies in consistent exposure to relevant decision-makers.

Companies that treat it strategically outperform those that post sporadically.

Why B2B Buyers Are Harder to Reach, And What That Actually Means

B2BInsider — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:53:19 GMT

If you’ve been feeling like buyers are harder to reach, you’re not imagining it.

This is not a temporary shift. It is a structural change in how B2B decisions are made.

Across industries, the same pattern is emerging:

Decision-makers are less accessible, less responsive, and far more selective about who they engage with. Traditional access points—cold call…

Why Most B2B Positioning Fails to Influence Buying Decisions.

B2BInsider — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:26:40 GMT

Many B2B companies struggle to convert market attention into pipeline.

The root cause is not lack of activity.

It is unclear positioning.

Positioning defines how a company is understood before any interaction takes place.

Without it, visibility does not translate into relevance.

Why B2B Decision-Makers Prefer Inbound Over Outbound.

B2BInsider — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:51:58 GMT

1. Supplier interaction happens later

Research from Gartner and Forrester shows:

• 70–80% of the buying process is completed before supplier contact
• Buyers use 6–10 sources during evaluation
• Decisions are made across groups

Vendors that are not visible during this phase are unlikely to be considered later.

Inbound operates here. Outbound does not.

2. Acces…

B2B has changed. Most companies haven’t.

B2BInsider — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:40:48 GMT

B2B has changed. Most companies haven’t.

Modern B2B operates under fundamentally different conditions than it did just a few years ago. Yet most companies continue to rely on the same assumptions, structures, and tactics that defined an earlier era.

The result is not a lack of activity.
It is a growing gap between effort and outcome.

A shift in buyer behavi…

The Rise Of The Revenue Agency

B2BInsider — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:05:34 GMT

For decades, the B2B agency model has followed a familiar structure. Companies hired marketing agencies to create visibility, PR agencies to shape perception, and sales agencies to generate meetings. Each discipline operated within its own silo. Each reported on its own metrics. And each defended its own territory.

But the market is changing.

Not graduall…

The Rise of Multi-Touch Prospecting

B2BInsider — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 16:38:05 GMT

In many B2B organizations, prospecting still follows a familiar pattern: a salesperson sends a cold email, perhaps follows up once or twice, and then moves on. For years this approach generated acceptable results. Buyers were less saturated with outreach, inboxes were less crowded, and decision-makers were easier to reach.

That environment has changed dr…

B2B Sales Didn’t Get Harder. It Got Smarter.

B2BInsider — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:09:55 GMT

Having worked in B2B sales for more than three decades, I have witnessed multiple structural shifts in how companies buy, how markets behave, and how sales organizations operate.

From analogue prospecting and trade fairs to CRM systems, LinkedIn, and AI-driven research, every decade has introduced new complexity.

Today, many executives describe B2B sales …

Positioning First. Conversation Second.

B2BInsider — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:51:45 GMT

In recent years, social selling has been overestimated as a standalone discipline.

The objective is not to conduct endless conversations in the inbox.
It is not to optimize for likes and comments.
It is not to generate activity for activity’s sake.

The objective is strategic familiarity and commercial positioning.

When decision-makers are repeatedly exposed …

Leadership isolation is becoming the biggest growth risk in B2B

B2BInsider — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 06:36:19 GMT

The silent shift at the top

Founders and CEOs have never been more connected.

And rarely been more alone.

By 2026, many leadership teams will face the same pattern:

• Founders will feel isolated in decision-making
• CEOs will have fewer honest conversations
• Leadership teams will avoid real conflict
• External advisors will be either tactical or political

On p…

If You Don’t Understand The Psychology of sales, Don’t Sell.

B2BInsider — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:41:34 GMT

Most founders, entrepreneurs, and SME owners have a solid product.
Many genuinely want to create value.

Yet sales still struggle.

Not because the market is saturated.
Not because customers don’t have needs.
But because too many people don’t understand the psychology behind selling.

Sales is not persuasion

Sales is not about arguments.
It’s not about presentatio…

No Trust, No Deal: B2B Marketing in 2026

B2BInsider — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 12:15:01 GMT

Photo by Belinda Fewings

In 2026, attention is cheap. Content is infinite. AI can generate anything.
What buyers lack is certainty.

That’s why trust has become the major currency in B2B marketing.

Not clicks.
Not impressions.
Not even leads.

Trust.

The buyer is no longer persuadable.

B2B buyers are informed, skeptical, and tired.
They don’t want to be impressed.…

B2B Sales in 2026: Trends, Tendencies and what to expect.

B2BInsider — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 17:00:26 GMT

The landscape of B2B sales is changing faster than most organisations can follow. Buying behaviour, digital platforms, content formats, trust mechanisms, and decision processes are all evolving simultaneously. 2026 will not be defined by more technology alone, but by smarter integration, deeper customer relevance, and the ability to shape trust in a noi…

What Do B2B Decision-Makers Prefer: A Call, an Email, or LinkedIn Outreach?

B2BInsider — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 21:22:47 GMT

Recent data paints a very clear picture:

83% of B2B buyers prefer email as the first point of contact.
Source: theinsightcollective.com
57% of C-level and VP roles prefer phone calls once the conversation becomes relevant.
Source: martal.ca
The effectiveness of email-only outreach is declining by approximately 29% year over year.
Source: amplyfi.com

This all p…

The B2B Blueprint of 2026

B2BInsider — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:10:43 GMT

B2B sales is shifting faster than at any time since 2010. Buying behavior is maturing. Attention is fragmenting. Trust is harder to earn. And the traditional sales motions - the ones built on cold outreach and transactional logic - are collapsing under the weight of a saturated digital world.

2026 is not simply a new year. It is a new operating system.

Why the Best Salespeople Rarely Seem to Be Selling.

B2BInsider — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:51:16 GMT

In every industry, a few sales professionals consistently rise above the rest.

They close complex deals, build lasting relationships, and earn the trust of decision-makers who rarely give it.

Yet what truly separates them from their peers isn’t charisma, persuasion, or polished technique.

It’s something quieter - something that exists at the intersection…

The Selective Buyer: Why Fewer Meetings Mean Better Sales

B2BInsider — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 21:13:55 GMT

There was a time when decision-makers said yes to everything.

A 30-minute demo here.
A quick intro call there.

Back then, B2B sales was a numbers game.
Book enough meetings, and something would eventually stick.

That era is gone.

In 2025, the modern B2B decision-maker is far more selective, and that’s great news for sales.

From Polite Interest to Real Intent

A …