Fear, Friction, and the Future of B2B

Nearly 40% of large B2B deals never reach a decision. They don’t go to competitors. They don’t get formally rejected.  They simply vanish, lost to the silent killer of indecision.

If you're in B2B marketing or sales, this is likely a painfully familiar truth.

Last week a panel of global B2B leaders at the B2B Marketing Conference by the Marketing Association tackled key issues, including Sophie Neate from ABB, Steve Ballantyne from Brand IQ, Nick Allan from Indicator, and Michael Friedberg from Flux B2B. The focus? What’s really stalling deals in 2025, and how marketers and sales teams can overcome it.

Indecision Is the Real Competitor

The biggest threat to enterprise sales isn’t your competition. It’s fear and friction inside the buying committee.

• Fear of making a bad decision
  
• Fear of career repercussions
  
• Fear of internal disagreement
  
  

Sometimes, “The safe option is to do nothing.”
With 8–11 stakeholders involved in most large B2B deals, the risk of political gridlock is real.

Tip: Speak to the fear before the fear speaks for itself. IBM understood this years ago with its legendary line: “No one ever got fired for buying IBM.”

Martech Meets Human Touch

Marketing automation has transformed B2B engagement. But as Sophie from ABB shared, the winning formula blends tech + timing + human intuition.

ABB uses platforms like Salesforce, Demandbase, and Pardot to track buyer intent. But when signals drop? They pause automation and switch to a human approach.

Adaptive strategy in action:
Their team doesn’t chase MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads), they engage Marketing Qualified Accounts only when data signals readiness. And when signals fade, the sales team steps in to rehumanise the conversation.

Real example: Sophie first encountered Human Digital through a form she didn’t submit. But the team followed up with empathy and relevance, earning her trust.

Buyer Personas: Evolving, Not Extinct

Are traditional buyer personas outdated? Not quite.

They're evolving into synthetic personas—created using AI, behavioural data, and psychographic insights.

But even advanced models can’t replace the need for human understanding.
That means mapping the full buying committee: not just decision-makers, but legal, finance, IT, and end users too.

Practical tip: Talk to your sales teams. Review RFPs. Track recurring objections. These are your real buyer insights—turn them into content that reframes fear into confidence.

AI: Not a Shortcut, But a Co-Pilot

AI is now a core member of forward-thinking B2B teams.

• ABB trains Microsoft Teams bots to generate content
• Custom GPTs enhance campaign speed and creativity
• Tools like Crystal Knows offer psychographic insight before a sales email is even sent
  

But here’s the caveat: “Most people use AI lazily,” said Michael.
It’s not about the tools you have—it’s about how well you train and integrate them.

Pro tip: Use AI to critique your work, not generate it. Ask it: “How can this be stronger?”

Velocity Over Perfection: Plan in 90-Day Sprints

Long-term rigidity is out. In a volatile market, agility wins.

Panel consensus:

• Build lean, AI-literate teams
• Use rolling 90-day planning cycles
• Treat change as a feature, not a bug

Sophie nailed it: “Keep the team lean and stay curious.”

From Insight to Action: What to Do Tomorrow

In a rapid-fire lightning round, each panellist shared their best tactical advice:

1. Meet the whole buying committee
   Don't stop at your primary contact. Build relationships across procurement, finance, and legal—everywhere trust can stall.
   
   
2. Audit your pipeline bottlenecks
   Is the issue people, process, or platform? Know where deals slow—and fix it fast.
   
   
3. Train your AI agents
   Feed them brand voice, acronyms, and success examples. Then test and retrain. AI only works if you invest in its learning.
   
   
4. Break the category norm
   One agency pitched British Rail by giving the execs a terrible experience—mirroring their customers. It was risky. It won the deal.
   

Final Word: Trust Still Wins

AI, automation, ABM, martech—they all matter.
But if 40% of B2B deals die in silence, your real product is trust.

So tomorrow:

• Reconnect with a stalled deal
• Identify the hidden fear blocking it
• Craft a personal message to build confidence
• Reframe fear into a reason to act
  

Because in modern B2B, success comes down to courage, timing, and the right mix of human + digital.

Need help mapping your buyer committee or training your AI tools?
Reach out to the team at Human Digital, we’ll help you turn complexity into clarity and stalled deals into momentum.