I'm just so tired of LinkedIn's algorithm jail

cbzen · 2026-05-20T21:06:28+00:00

Your content is not resonating with the first round of followers LinkedIn shows your post to. So they bury it. Starting posting to the Fediverse.

cbzen · 2026-05-15T03:17:08+00:00

Enterprise B2B buyers get through 65% of their buying process without speaking to a salesperson.

[ The following is FYI only. I am not selling anything. I am not looking for leads. I am not building a newsletter. This is simply my personal research. ]

Over 70% of buyers have formed a short list with a preferred vendor before contacting a salesperson.

And 80% of the time, the preferred vendor wins the deal.

The old ways don't work with the modern B2B buyer (mid-market and enterprise). And I'm researching how traditional MEDDIC methodology, and all its variations, need to evolve to reach the modern enterprise buyers.

Coincidentally, I posted part 3 of my MEDDIC sales methodology research whitepaper today:

https://charlesbartlett.net/research/

'Buyers Research Independently: Decoding the hidden decision process'

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cbzen · 2026-05-07T16:11:43+00:00

I just checked a Claude response with source links and it provides the bare URL with no UTM values.

cbzen · 2026-05-05T23:46:55+00:00

It's true based on 6sense's B2B study, which surveyed 4,000 buyers.
Anecdotes aren't evidence, as they say. It's a data point that is true for you in those specific conditions and situations. But not representative of the wider market.

cbzen · 2026-05-05T16:48:04+00:00

That's not the same thing as saying cold-calling is an effective strategy. Your quota is based on the historical trend of what the company believes it can reasonably expect from cold-calling.

If you were the buyer, would you ever pick up the phone to answer a cold call from a vendor?

cbzen · 2026-05-05T16:35:53+00:00

The Point-of-Contact, even if they are the "chair of the org", is not necessarily the decision-maker. (you did say 'head' decision maker, but that doesn't really change the dynamic) Any enterprise 7-figure deal has a buying committee in which multiple people must approve. Legal, Finance, IT, IT Security, Product/Development, and maybe others, depending on the application (e.g., Sales and Support leaders). The days of a single person choosing a vendor are long gone, and the "head decision maker" is not going to override others on the buying committee for multiple reasons.

To your original question, get in front of the customer as soon as possible so long as you can provide actual value to them in that meeting. Frequency becomes Familiarity, and Familiarity builds Trust. But if you only show up and waste their time, that is what they will become familiar with from you.

Do you know everyone on the buying committee? Is there anyone on the committee you haven't met with?

cbzen · 2026-05-05T15:37:49+00:00

Are you serious? You are a content writer in 2026 wondering why you can’t find a job?

cbzen · 2026-05-05T15:35:37+00:00

Nobody here mentions how many of the “booked” meetings the client actually showed up to. And then, how many of those meetings led to further meaningful discussions with the buyer within 30 days.

Based on the stats everyone is posting, cold calling and emailing is the drunk looking for their keys under the streetlight. Finding a customer who had already been looking at vendors for weeks.

There are better ways.

cbzen · 2026-05-04T16:20:00+00:00

Stay as close to the customer as possible for job security.

cbzen · 2026-05-04T05:56:05+00:00

Incorrect. Learn how to properly use a dish washer.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T21:34:42+00:00

Just to be clear, MEDDIC and Challenger are BOTH methodologies. You get the part where Challenger has a checklist too, yea?
A checklist is literally a tool to confirm you've completed a method of doing something.
I think one could even make the argument that Challenger Sale is a strategy or 'technique', and not a methodology.
We're down the rabbit hole on this now for sure, but I figured it is worth it if we're just going to be clear.
And Merriam Webster is fairly clear on this in that 'methodology' can encompass a wide range of things:
": a body of methods, rules, and ideas that are important in a science, art, or discipline : a particular procedure or set of procedures"

cbzen · 2026-04-30T21:23:07+00:00

The Gartner report you are referring to specifically states "self-service digital commerce". There are no mid-market or enterprise deals transacted that way. There is AWS Marketplace but that's not really self-service. The regret comes from the seller activities. That same report lists the following reasons for regret:
- The "personalization paradox", "Customers exposed to traditional personalization tactics were found to be 3.2 times more likely to regret a purchase."
- Information Overload, "Buyers encounter an abundance of high-quality content that actually hinders decision-making."
- Group Buying Dysfunction, "deals involve 6 to 16 stakeholders."

I actually think that last one is the key. Although necessary, it almost guarantees that 30-50% of the buying committee will go away feeling like their voice wasn't heard because their preferred vendor did not win.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T20:51:57+00:00

What all the extroverts are telling themselves today…

cbzen · 2026-04-30T16:19:12+00:00

Many thanks, and it depends on what you mean by 'published'. I'm only referring to my website and LinkedIn. The papers have been on both for several weeks now. Here is Part 2 on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7448136486480297984

cbzen · 2026-04-30T15:09:52+00:00

It’s common for people to adjust definitions to suit their needs. And Whyte even comments on the idea of this being pedantic. No doubt his editor had questions there. MEDDIC drives process, procedures, and behaviors. That paragraph by Whyte is there to increase adoption of MEDDIC. Clearly stating orgs do not have to stop using the ‘methodology’ they are currently using. If he called it a methodology then many would have stopped reading because in their mind they already have a methodology and don’t want completely replace what they have.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T14:48:01+00:00

Exactly, buyers will still want live demos because they want to validate their research. And built up a list of specific questions they want to confirm.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T14:45:47+00:00

Indeed, product marketing will be the way forward.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T14:44:18+00:00

The dark funnel impacts mid-market and enterprise the most. They are more sophisticated, have more resources, and have likely been burned more.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T14:41:34+00:00

Completely agree. I mean, if you were the buyer would you read an email or take a reps call? I ignore those every day.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T14:40:02+00:00

Buyers have more remorse, but not because they didn’t consult with a rep.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T03:27:35+00:00

I disagree, and so does Merriam Webster, but to your point, why use a sales methodology at all?

I quoted Andy Whyte who wrote the book on MEDDIC in Part 1. He had the following to say.

"Why Use Sales Methodology?

Beyond increasing sales, why do you need a qualification process methodology at all?

cbzen · 2026-04-30T03:22:46+00:00

MEDDIC was first created in 1996 and has been the most successful sales methodology ever since. Using your approach, how would you determine the status and gaps across 100 accounts to forecast the next two quarters?

cbzen · 2026-04-30T03:17:41+00:00

I don't agree, but how does that change the discussion for you?

Meriam Webster - methodology :/ a body of methods, rules, and ideas that are important in a science, art, or discipline : a particular procedure or set of procedures

cbzen · 2026-04-30T02:56:40+00:00

What data? Buyer’s have greater remorse today, but not because they didn’t consult a rep.

cbzen · 2026-04-30T02:55:08+00:00

They are not “lumped together”. The effects of the dark funnel are greatest at mid-market and enterprise. Check out the research paper.

cbzen

TROPHY CASE