Empowered Buyers: Fueled by the Internet, with access to a wealth of resources, research, discussions, product and pricing information, buyers are self-empowered to drive the buying cycle, inviting sales later and later into the decision making process, if at all. B2B buyers are now relying on industry analysts, peers and trusted 3rd party publications, but not on vendors, to help them facilitate important purchase decisions. With less resources than ever before, buyers demand more proactive consultative advice and support throughout the buying cycle. MORE >>

As a result, most buyers have taken charge of the buying cycle , engaging with sales representatives later and later. As a result, Internet fueled buying cycles have required B2B marketers to deliver more content and tools over more and more channels to actively engage ever more empowered, skeptical and frugal buyers. The good news is that todays buyer wants to be engaged, with 9 out of 10 actively relying on vendor provided information on their way to making a purchase decision. Alinean Powers ROI Calculator for Interactive Inte. They do if they are. MORE >>

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Tech Media Publishers looking more Like Interactive Marketing Firms Every Day Tech Media publishers have seen an exponential shift in buyer behaviour, recognizing that the B2B buying decisions these publications support are now Internet driven , and that buyers are in control of the buying cycle like never before - seeking trusted sources of diagnosis, advice and recommendations. The age of Internet fueled buying decisions means that traditional print publications just dont meet buyer or seller needs. Do White Papers Still Engage? MORE >>

It is not often we see so many thought leaders and pundits confluence around such significant observations: • At Forrester , sales enablement analyst Scott Santucci indicates that “We are in the middle of a major transformation in the B2B sales model, driven by customer’s enterprise-wide strategic procurement initiatives to buy only what they need at the lowest possible price”. Marketing luminary Seth Godin indicates that "No business buys a solution for a problem they don't have." Path - How will it be purchased and how can you help facilitate the decision cycle? MORE >>

By Holger Schulze Major shifts are taking place in B2B marketing that started a few years ago but have accelerated in recent months – in the marketplace as well as inside vendor organizations. In the “old days”, the mainstream marketing approach was to interrupt and engage prospects, educate them on the vendors offering and move them through the sale cycle towards a transaction – a very vendor and product centric approach. This exercise will help you understand how your customers are progressing through the steps of the buying cycle. Time to get ready MORE >>