To be “buyable” a brand has to build the confidence of all buyer group members. To achieve this, there are 5 simple rules to follow. Worth noticing, is that three out of the five decision drivers are about group dynamics, not product.
Rule 1: Make risk the enemy
40% of deals stall because the buyer group cannot agree, not because a competitor won. Buyers would rather do nothing than risk a decision that damages their career.
This is FOMU: Fear of Messing Up, which always outweighs Fear Of Missing Out. Your job as a marketer is to make choosing you feel safe. That means leading with proof that you have helped companies like theirs succeed, not just features that sound impressive.
Rule 2: Your target buyer is not your only buyer
Here is where most targeting strategies fall short. Finance, Legal and Procurement are hidden buyers that rarely show up in your funnel. But they hold roughly 50% of total decision-making influence.
Vendors are 20 times more likely to be chosen when the entire Buyer Group knows and trusts the brand at the start of the process, compared to when only the technical champion does.
In short: Reaching your ideal target customer is not enough. Hidden buyers need to know your name before the deal reaches their desk.
Rule 3: A defensible decision is the product
When buyers choose from a shortlist where everyone meets the basic requirements, product capability stops being the differentiator. What moves them is whether they can sell you internally, walk into a room and justify the decision with confidence.
Rule 4: Peer advocacy is a multiplier
When buyers on a shortlist are choosing between vendors who all meet the basics, recommendations decide the winner.
Buyers are 3 times more likely to choose a vendor heavily recommended by peers or customers over one that promises a better product or lower price. They are 4 times more likely to choose a vendor they have had direct success with before, because past experience is, in effect, a recommendation from themselves.
Rule 5: Show them you understand companies like theirs
The final dimension of Buyability is cultural fit. Buyers want to work with vendors who feel like them: same working style, same priorities, same understanding of their world.
The research heatmap across all five Buyability drivers tells a clear story. Socially oriented attributes, including working style alignment, peer recommendations, and a specific focus on companies like theirs, outperform rational attributes like being a category leader or being recommended by experts.
What this means for your marketing strategy
The research is directionally simple even if the execution is not. The most important take-away is that the vendors who win are not always the best product. They are the safest choice in the room.
You can download the full report here.
And if you want to discuss communication, you are always welcome to contact ulf@sfinxagency.se
