Introduction – The Myth of Selling Only to the CEO

Imagine this: You’ve written a perfect pitch, and it lands on the CEO’s desk. Victory, right? Not so fast. The true tale in B2B marketing is actually much more involved and more interesting. But here’s the reality: B2B decisions are not made in a vacuum. They are created by committee and influenced by competing constituencies, and driven by cross-functional priorities.

The typical B2B purchase decision involves 6 to 10 buyers, according to Gartner. According to Harvard Business Review research, the average buying decision is made by 5.4 people! This means that if you’re marketing only to the CEO, you are missing an opportunity with most of the decision-makers.

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, an average buyer decision needs 5.4 people to approve it. That means if you’re speaking to only the CEO, you’ve missed most of the decision-makers.

The CEO-centric B2B Marketing Myth

Why the CEO of a B2B company is the best salesperson

• 75% of B2B marketers report their campaigns to be “CEO-focused” (LinkedIn B2B Institute, 2023).
• The assumption: CEOs are all-powerful.

The risks of single-audience targeting

• Transactions that involve only one party are 50% more likely to suffer from roadblocks or fail (Gartner, 2022).
• 57 percent of B2B buyers claim vendors aren’t knowledgeable about their company’s internal purchasing process.

The B2B Purchase: Dynamics of the New Imperative for Marketers

Who exactly should be included in a B2B purchase?

A Demand Gen Report shows:

• 81% of B2B purchasing decisions include middle managers.
• 61% involve finance (CFO/procurement).
• 55% are with technical staff (CIO/IT leads).

How buying groups collectively decide

B2B buying cycles have lengthened by 22% in the last decade, according to IDC, because there are more stakeholders that require alignment.

Why Use a Multi-Audience Target in B2B

• Businesses including more than one company are closing deals 31% faster as compared to organizations connecting with a single firm (Forrester, 2023).
• 4+ stakeholder deals are 40% larger in value than single-contact deals (SiriusDecisions).
• Multi-audience engagement boosts renewal likelihood by 35% (McKinsey, 2022).

How to Design B2B Marketing For Multiple Audiences

• Mapping stakeholders: Gartner’s research in this area has found that buying groups typically involve players from finance, operations, legal and IT as well as end users.
• Personalized messaging: LinkedIn data reveals CFOs are 2x more likely to engage with ROI content, while IT directors are 3x more likely to engage with security/integration content.
• ABM yields results: 87% of marketers use or plan to use ABM, with ITSMA reporting that it provides the highest return on investment compared to any other marketing approach.

Real-World Example: Targeting for CEOs Only vs. Multi-Audience Target Practice

• Company A (CEO-only approach) saw deals stall 6 months longer than the norm, thanks to procurement pushback.
• Company B (multi-audience strategy) closed 25% faster when IT, the finance team, and end-users lined up along with the CEO.

Conclusion – The B2B Marketing Future is multi-audience

What it takes to succeed in today’s B2B environment:

• Assume a half-dozen to 10 decision-makers in each purchase.
• Tailored content and outreach for each.
• Establish alignment amongst roles before going offline to prevent stalling.

In B2B, winning depends not on convincing one CEO, but rather on facilitating consensus across the buying group.