How to Close Deals in a World Where Buyers Research on Their Own

In today's B2B sales, the most critical phase of the buyer's journey usually occurs before your sales team is even aware there's interest.

Forrester research shows that 74% of B2B decision-makers complete the majority of their buying research digitally before contacting sales. They don't require a discovery call to discover your product. They're not sitting around for your emails and cold calls. It turns out that many would rather have a rep-free purchasing experience — a whopping 43%, says Gartner. Source

This is not just a minor adjustment. It's a total shift in buyer influence — and it means the previous sales playbook is quickly losing its effectiveness.

How can you thrive in today’s transformed sales landscape? You cease attempting to pursue buyers and begin leading them where they're already at — online, researching, and establishing opinions well before your reps get them into a meeting.

The Traditional Sales Approach is Losing Ground

For years, salespeople were instructed to manage the buying process. The rep would pitch the product, reveal pain points, and guide the buyer through a predetermined process. But today's buyer does not want to be guided that way — they want to guide.

Here's what's new:

Buyers no longer require a salesperson to find product information, price models, or use cases.

They don't want to be "sold to" — they want to be educated, empowered, and assured.

Generic pitches and cold outreach are dismissed — or worse, break trust.

When a prospect makes a meeting, they've done their research. They've read articles, browsed peer reviews, watched demo videos, and perhaps even talked to an existing customer. If your company wasn't included in that pre-meeting learning, your rep is already behind the curve.

What Today's B2B Buyers Want

To gain their trust — and their sale — you must provide the experience buyers are looking for:

• Self-serve content: Buyers prefer to conduct their research. They want great quality content that serves them answers at their own time — not gated PDFs that ask for an email address.

  
  

• Peer endorsements: Sites such as G2, TrustRadius, and LinkedIn endorsements are becoming increasingly crucial in vendor choice. Buyers rely more on individuals than on slick pitch decks.

  
  

• Digital trust matters: Buyers search for your brand, your executives, and your sales team. If they can't find you, they’ll question your legitimacy.

  
  

• Personal relevance: One-size-fits-all messaging fails. Buyers expect messaging tailored to their role, industry, and unique challenges.

  
  

• Frictionless access: They want quick answers, simple paths to value, and digital touchpoints that don't require scheduling a call for every question.

  
  

Example: A mid-market IT director is searching for a cloud migration tool. Before reaching out to a vendor, they've:

• Watched three YouTube reviews

• Read two comparison blogs.

• Checked peer reviews on G2

• Followed thought leaders on LinkedIn

• Narrowed the shortlist based on who had helpful, visible content

If your sales team isn't showing up during that process, you're out of the running before the first contact.

Why Sales Needs to Show Up Before the Call

The change is noticeable: customers make judgments before hearing from you. The window of influence is earlier — and more online — than ever before.

To compete, your sales teams need to establish themselves as visible authorities. That involves:

• Posting insightful content on LinkedIn

• Participating in industry conversations

• Featuring customer success stories

• Weighing in on challenges facing your ICP

• Being discoverable when a buyer conducts their research

The objective? Establish credibility and top-of-mind awareness before they ever click "Book a Demo."

"Today, top performers teach before they sell."

5 Strategic Shifts to Succeed in the Self-Educating Age

Here’s how your team can adapt and succeed in today’s landscape:

1. Transform Reps into Subject Matter Experts

Empower representatives to discuss industry trends credibly, not just product features. Sales enablement needs to move beyond objection handling — it must empower reps to become authoritative voices in their space.

• Give training on your audience's most significant pain points.

• Prompt sharing of content and meaningful commentary

• Gauge impact through views of your profile, engagement, and shares of your content

2. Provide What Buyers Require, When They Need It

Today's buying is nonlinear. Employ signals of intent — such as content downloads, visits to your site, or activity on LinkedIn — to know where a buyer is and what they're interested in.

• Track content through every step of the buying process

• Make resources easily discoverable and shareable.

• Armed with insights that inform wiser outreach

3. Let Your Content Be the First Impression That Wins Buyers

Here, content is your salesperson. It works around the clock—informing, convincing, and filtering leads. Invest in:

• Blog articles that respond to key questions

• Explainer videos that define your value

• Case studies demonstrating real-world outcomes

• LinkedIn carousels and polls that generate discussion

4. Transition from Outreach to Attraction

Instead of pursuing buyers, build the type of thought leadership and insights that attract them.

• Post weekly on LinkedIn from the eyes of your reps.

• Host webinars or live Q&A on relevant topics

• Get reps to participate, not merely connect.

This is not ego — it's visibility. It's how buyers become aware of your brand and your team before they're even in the market.

5. Unify Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success

Modern buyers don't distinguish between departments — they simply want a seamless and valuable experience. That requires:

• Aligned messaging and objectives

• Shared data and tools

• Feedback loops that continuously improve content and outreach

When your team is aligned, buyers notice — and the path to purchase speeds up.

Leadership's Role: Enable the Shift

This transformation doesn't happen without executive commitment. Sales leaders must rethink what they're coaching, measuring, and celebrating.

• Go past calls made and meetings scheduled — measure engagement, content sharing, and social visibility.

• Provide representatives with the necessary tools and training to achieve online success.

• Include digital presence as part of the onboarding and continuous learning process.

• Elevate a culture of curiosity, insight, and helpfulness.

Being visible online isn’t just for marketing anymore — it’s now critical to sales success.

Final Word: Be Present Where Deals Begin

The fact is plain: Buyers are researching — with or without you. If you're not present in that process, you're not just behind on the deal… you're probably out of it.

In this environment, winning isn't about screaming the loudest. It's about being the most helpful, the most visible, and the most trusted.

Connect with your buyers where they already are:

• Online

• In research mode

• Seeking advice

Because when buyers drive the process, salespeople must earn the right to follow up by creating value before they even get a meeting.