3/13/2026
Editors: Rebecca Morgan & Ken Braly
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Miscellaneous Tips
Why your hot prospect ghosted you: The truth about B2B buying decisions — Vickie Sullivan
It’s not our imagination: navigating B2B buying decisions is like running a gauntlet. A recent MarketingProfs article breaks down why the process feels so chaotic — for buyers and for us.
Today’s prospects are in constant research mode, diving deep long before they ever talk to a seller. They’re sorting through information overload, juggling competing priorities, and trying to make sense of it all with a buying group that’s bigger and more conflicted than ever.
Flooding their inboxes and pitching harder doesn’t help. Buyers want clarity, not pressure. And even when your content educates (not sells), that still doesn’t guarantee a straight path to a decision.
Based on the stats, here are the top reasons B2B buying decisions stall:
- The target is always moving. According to Gartner, a whopping 77% of B2B buyers say their most recent purchase was complex or difficult. And nearly all buying groups admit they had to revisit their decisions at least once as new information emerged. This is why you thought the deal was done, but then got ghosted. Your advocate was sincere, but something changed, and suddenly, you’re out of consideration.
- Conflict within the group. Gartner also reports that 74% (!) of B2B buying teams experience “unhealthy conflict” during the decision process. Nothing gets approved until those issues get resolved. Again, this is why buyers aren’t returning your calls. No one wants to air internal drama.
The common denominator: It isn’t about us. These delays, conflicts, reversals, and revisions are symptoms of how complex B2B buying decisions have become. Buyers aren’t happy about the process either. Nearly 90% say their purchase process stalled recently, and 81% weren’t satisfied with the provider they ultimately chose.
So, the next time a hot prospect drops off the face of the earth, remember these stats. Most of the time, the stall has nothing to do with your solution or with you at all.
This is also a reminder of why a strong sales pipeline matters. You simply can’t bet your business on a handful of opportunities when B2B buying decisions are this unpredictable. A full pipeline absorbs the turbulence, so you don’t have to.
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Technology Tips
Talk to AI in any app — Julie Holmes
Most of our work is still ... well, typing. Wispr Flow flips that. Hold a hotkey, talk in any app and watch your words turn into clean, formatted writing (and yes, it even removes the “um...” moments).
The real magic is the correction memory: fix a name, term or weird industry acronym once and it remembers. Unlike some people.
It supports 100+ languages and starts with a pretty solid 14-day free plan. You can absolutely thank me later.
Travel Tips
US citizens: register overseas travel — Randy Gage
If you’ve been watching the news on the Iran war, you know thousands of Americans were trapped in the Middle East for days. And things just keep getting spicier. If you are traveling outside the United States, consider enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). It is a free service that sends you email updates and alerts from U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. We’re going to start listing my overseas trips with them. Haven’t bothered doing this in the past, but I’m now going all in on this.
AI prompts for better trip planning — Rebecca Morgan
In this article, PointsPath writer Benji Stawski gave useful prompts for planning trips, including checking connection times and your itinerary for your off-time.
I used it recently when deciding which hotel chain provided upgrades, breakfast and lounge access for elite loyalty members. It included breakfast menus, reviews from previous travelers, lounge opening times and common refreshments. This info wasn’t easily available on the hotel’s websites.
Topic of the Month (TOTM) — Your Input Wanted
Our TOTM is: What redundant items (back-ups) do you bring when traveling — especially for long trips?
Send your brief, pithy responses *that are different from those previously mentioned* to editor@SpeakerNetNews.com. Please put “Topic of the Month” or “TOTM” in the subject line.
This may sound so obvious that it’s irrelevant — but I ALWAYS have a printed copy of my introduction, even though it was provided ahead of time. I cannot tell you how many times I had to pull it out to save, not only the introducer, but myself from a poorly and quickly created introduction!
And I always have more socks, lipsticks, and throat lozenges than I would ever need — so I can have some tucked in every possible place I’d want them to be!
About SpeakerNet News and the Editors/Publishers
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