Day Zero: Why 80% of B2B Buying Happens Without You

SESSION OVERVIEW:

B2B buyers now complete, on average, 80% of their buyer journey before making contact with vendors. Buyers become aware of a business need, evaluate options, and build their vendor shortlists at their own pace, relying on case studies, whitepapers, reviews, and peer communities.

By the time a B2B buyer forms their Day One shortlist with their buying committee, organizations absent from it are often too late to enter consideration. Influencing this process requires activity in what is known as Day Zero: the period of time before the shortlist, where the cumulative effect of brand exposure, thought leadership, and professional experiences builds preferences. 

In this session, recorded for Pavilion’s Top Line Spotlight, Alexander Kesler, Founder and CEO of INFUSE, and Sam Jacobs, CEO of Pavilion, discuss how to craft the foundation for brand preference through Day Zero activities. 

Drawing on INFUSE Voice of the Buyer and Voice of the Marketer 2026 research, this session reveals the strategies to build the relationships, brand awareness, and trust that earn your brand a place in the buying group’s consideration set before active research begins. 

This webinar explores:

• Why roughly 80% of the B2B buying journey now happens before vendor interaction
• What distinguishes the Day One shortlist from Day Zero activity 
• How generative AI and answer engine optimization (AEO) fit into demand generation, and why they are not enough to earn Day Zero preference
• Why consistent value built before buyers enter the market, not late-stage outreach, earns shortlist positions 

Watch this webcast to learn how to stay top-of-mind and earn buyer consideration on Day Zero, before the vendor shortlist is set.