Digital-First Buyers Require a Different Commercial System

A potential customer may develop a shortlist of suppliers without ever speaking to one of them.

They might discover a business problem through an industry discussion, explore alternative approaches using AI, read specialist articles, consult peers and compare suppliers online. Only when they have developed a preliminary preference do they initiate a direct commercial conversation.

For many B2B companies, this creates a fundamental problem. Their commercial model is still designed around the moment when a salesperson makes contact. But a significant part of the buying journey now takes place before that moment. The organisation may therefore be competing for an opportunity long before it knows the opportunity exists.

The buying journey has changed – but not in one simple direction

It is tempting to describe modern B2B buyers as exclusively digital. The evidence suggests something more nuanced.

McKinsey's 2024 B2B Pulse found that buyers use an average of ten interaction channels across their buying journey. Gartner reported in 2025 that 61% of surveyed B2B buyers preferred an overall buying experience without sales-representative involvement. Yet buyers still value relevant human guidance when it helps them understand their specific situation.

The commercial implication is not to replace salespeople with digital channels. It is to design an experience in which digital information and human expertise work together.

Five changes commercial leaders need to understand

1. Visibility must exist before active demand

Many organisations invest primarily in reaching customers who are already looking for a supplier. But customers develop preferences through previous experience, industry knowledge, professional networks and exposure to relevant ideas.

The 2025 6sense Buyer Experience Report found that winning vendors were already present on buyers' initial shortlists in 95% of the purchases examined. This reinforces the importance of being known and credible before an active opportunity becomes visible to the sales team.

2. Content must help customers make decisions

A company website that simply describes its products and services may be insufficient. Customers need material that helps them understand problems, evaluate approaches, assess risks and explain decisions internally.

Useful content might include practical diagnostics, expert perspectives, implementation considerations, relevant cases and clear descriptions of where an offering is – and is not – appropriate.

The 2025 Edelman–LinkedIn research illustrates how substantive thought leadership can influence stakeholders beyond the visible target buyer. Content should therefore be treated as part of the commercial system, not merely as marketing output.

3. AI introduces another route to discovery

Generative AI is changing how some buyers investigate markets and evaluate suppliers. In 6sense's 2025 research, 94% of surveyed buyers reported using large language models during their buying journey.

This does not mean that AI has replaced websites, peer recommendations or supplier conversations. It means that organisations should consider whether their expertise and positioning are clearly expressed and accessible through the information sources buyers use.

Generative Engine Optimisation – often called GEO – is one emerging way of discussing this challenge.

The practical priorities remain straightforward: publish useful original information, make expertise identifiable, maintain accessible web content and ensure that claims are supported by credible evidence. There is no guarantee that any particular AI system will cite or recommend a supplier.

4. Digital reach does not automatically create relevance

Email, social media and AI-assisted communication can increase the scale of outreach. But scale is not the same as effectiveness.

An irrelevant message does not become commercially valuable because it is automated or personalised with a first name. Gartner's research on buyers actively avoiding irrelevant suppliers demonstrates why commercial relevance must come before communication volume.

Technology should help organisations understand customers and improve interactions – not simply multiply them.

5. Channel performance must be evaluated as a connected system

A customer may encounter an article, visit a website, hear a recommendation, review a case and only then respond to a salesperson. Attributing the entire opportunity to the final interaction provides an incomplete picture.

Leadership needs to understand how different activities contribute to market access, credibility and qualified commercial progress. This requires better coordination between marketing, sales, leadership and specialist expertise.

A more effective commercial operating model

I would organise the response around five connected capabilities.

Market clarity: Know which customer segments, problems and buying triggers matter.

Discoverability: Ensure that relevant customers can find and understand the organisation's expertise.

Credibility: Demonstrate commercial understanding through useful content, evidence and consistent positioning.

Engagement: Connect digital interactions with relevant human conversations.

Learning: Examine which activities contribute to meaningful opportunities and customer outcomes.

This is a practical operating model, not a claim that every business needs an elaborate marketing technology stack. The right solution depends on the company's market, sales motion and organisational maturity.

What about Millennials and Gen Z?

Generational change deserves attention, but it should not become an excuse for simplistic assumptions. The 2025 6sense research found that age had only a small relationship with several core buying-journey behaviours in its sample.

It would therefore be misleading to assume that all younger buyers want digital self-service while older buyers prefer personal relationships. Buying behaviour is also shaped by the organisation, the purchasing situation, the level of risk and the complexity of the decision. Design around actual customer behaviour rather than stereotypes.

Applying the Bridge Framework

Clarify: Establish where the company needs to be visible and what it should be known for.

Diagnose: Examine how customers discover, research and evaluate the organisation today.

Design: Connect content, digital discovery, market access and personal selling.

Activate: Develop clear responsibilities across marketing, sales and leadership.

Evolve: Learn from changing buyer behaviour and refine the commercial model accordingly.

Digital-first buying is not simply a new channel challenge. It changes how a company creates relevance before demand, develops trust and converts market interest into sustainable growth.

If customers begin their buying journey before they speak to you, your commercial strategy must begin before the sales conversation.

Five questions for leadership

1. Can relevant customers discover us before they actively seek a supplier?
2. Does our content help buyers understand problems and make decisions?
3. Are our positioning and expertise clear across digital channels?
4. Do marketing and sales operate as one connected commercial system?
5. Do we understand how different interactions contribute to qualified opportunities?