The Buyers You Never See

The most important audience for your thought leadership may be the one you never see.

Enterprise software purchases are shaped by people who may never attend a vendor presentation or speak to a sales representative. They are the finance, security and technical stakeholders who scrutinize a proposed purchase long after a vendor has made the shortlist.

New research suggests their influence is growing.

According to G2's 2026 Buyer Behavior Report, evaluation has overtaken research as the longest stage of the software buying journey. Forty percent of buyers now identify evaluation as the biggest time sink, up from 36% last year. For enterprise buyers, security reviews are the leading source of post-selection delays.

AI can generate a vendor shortlist in seconds. But the CFO still wants to know whether the investment makes financial sense. The CISO wants to understand the risks. And the technical architect needs to know whether the thing actually works.

The vendor may not even be in the room when those conversations happen.

That gives new significance to another finding, from the 2025 Edelman, LinkedIn Thought Leadership Impact Report: 79% of U.S. hidden decision-makers say they're more likely to champion proposals from companies that consistently produce high-quality thought leadership.

The implication for B2B marketers is straightforward. Getting discovered is only the first test. The second is whether your arguments survive scrutiny by people you've never met.

That requires more than polished content. Original research, credible executive judgment and evidence that an internal champion can use to defend a decision all matter.

Getting found earns you consideration. Giving buyers something they can defend helps keep you in contention.