Jeff B

Thanks for getting back to me. For a while Ive been thinking about the B2B software buying space and the way software is sold. A monumental shift is happening. But for anything to work you need to start with the buyers (demand) not the sellers (supply). I've gone back and forth on this but I really think if you can nail the buyer problem, you solve this massively valuable equation (more on this below).

You need to read the recent G2 2023 Buyer Behavior Report (attached). It confirms all the findings I've put together.

Macro Shifts:
Everything in software buying is pointing to self-serve. Research and evaluation account for over 60+% of the buying journey. 80% of buyers want to do this on their own, via self-serve. And they are less likely to purchase a software product if a vendor requests them to provide information prior to releasing pricing or product demo. There is room here to intercept buyers in this research and evaluation phase of the buying journey. And in a way that is on their own time, self-serve.

Outbound Sales Shift:
This is a HUGE component of any sales organization. Outbound email sales is dead or dying. If not already, it's about to get the deathblow. Gmail just released a memo discussing a new feature they are rolling out Q1 2024 to filter all sales emails. This is an industry first to cut down on unwanted emails (sales emails). So how will outbound sales adapt or shift?

There is an opportunity to change outbound email sales from unwanted, noisy, to useful pitches, tailored to buyers direct needs, on buyers terms, when buyers are in market for a tool (research and evaluation).

Vision/Future:
The vision I have is a world where buyers post their needs and sales teams send their pitches, but on the buyers' terms, personalized to their needs, without having to do a demo, or provide contact information; self-serve. This becomes the sales outbound pitch platform.
So instead of email, this is where sellers go to pitch. AI filters those pitches and only surfaces the BEST and most relevant for buyers. Closest analogy is an RFP process. You post your needs and let the vendors pitch to you. This makes the discovery, research and evaluation phase (60%+ of buying journey) significantly easier because as a buyer you get all the relevant information for any applicable vendor, filtered by best pitches. Buyers dont have to go through the demo process just to get basic information they want on a vendor. But I keep getting blocked by the buyer problem. How do you get buyers to want/use this if it's not a daily problem? But I really think if you can nail the buyer problem, you solve this massively valuable equation.

I have some thoughts but if you are open I would love to brainstorm with you on this. I know I might be thinking about this in too great of detail but I'm trying to spell out the vision. The billion dollar vision. This isn't just a feature. This is an entire shift in the way B2B sales occurs.

Pete