…Especially If You’re a Freelancer
Seventy percent.
That’s how much of a buying decision is already made before a prospect ever talks to a company. Marcus Sheridan highlights this in his book They Ask, You Answer, referencing studies that show just how much of the sales process happens long before a salesperson picks up the phone.
And it’s not just for B2C. The stat originated in B2B research, where buying cycles are long and expensive. It doesn’t matter if you’re a one-person shop or a multinational, it’s the same pattern.
Think back ten years. If you’d asked how far along people were in their decision before contacting a business, the common guess would’ve been 20-40 percent. Today? It’s 70 percent. And in another decade? It might be 80, 90, maybe even 100. At that point, sales might just show up to sign the paperwork.
So, here’s the tough question: if most of the decision happens before sales is involved, which department actually drives revenue — sales or marketing?
The answer is obvious. It’s marketing.
And yet, when companies tighten their belts, which department gets cut first? Marketing. When they’re ready to grow again, which department do they hire…
