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Building Preference Is The Key To Winning B2B Buyers

B2B buying networks have become increasingly chaotic, with Forrester reporting that 73% of purchases involve three or more departments and an average of 13 internal and nine external participants. The research shows 68% of buyers start the process with a front‑runner vendor, and that vendor wins 80% of the time, highlighting the difficulty of influencing decisions later in the cycle. To counter this, marketers must merge brand and demand functions into a unified preference‑marketing strategy that builds early affinity. Aligning metrics and leveraging preference signals are essential to shift from chasing lost deals to shaping outcomes from the start.