In the past few years, buying behavior has adapted to a changing market. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive growth in the tech sector, with B2B buying groups prioritizing the sophistication of their tech stacks to enable digital transformation efforts. This scenario changed in 2022 and 2023, as companies decided to decrease their investments in tech and lay off staff.
In 2024, the buying group faced a scenario of slow growth (Reuters, 2023), with buyers willing to spend but still defensive regarding purchase priorities and proving a return on investment (ROI). In turn, the 2025 buyer emphasizes the need to drive efficiency and outcomes by streamlining processes, maintaining a defensive stance to avoid high-risk investments.
This article presents six steps based on this evolving behavior of the buying group, with a playbook that considers the buying journey of today and how marketers and salespeople should engage the buying group as a whole to drive brand interest and conversions.