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Only 5% of the B2B Buying Journey Is Spent Meeting Suppliers—Make It Count

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The Invisible Advantage: Communicating The Intangible Value of Your B2B Services

Only 5% of the B2B Buying Journey Is Spent Meeting Suppliers—Make It Count

If you were an army general, would you ever enter a major battle without studying the battlefield, your opponent, or your army’s strength? Probably not. Similarly, a structured approach to buyer enablement ensures that every potential client is adequately nurtured and guided through the purchase journey. Without this tactical preparation, crucial opportunities are lost, like leaving a gap in your forces where you become weak and exposed to defeat.

South Africa’s engineering consulting and construction sector is a critical pillar of the economy—closely tied to infrastructure investment, energy development, and public sector projects. The industry has faced volatility in recent years due to economic pressures, political uncertainty, and underinvestment in public works.

Construction project cancellations in South Africa

According to the Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) 2024 Infrastructure Report, construction project cancellations across the country increased by at least 37% in the first 6 months of 2024.

While firms face challenges such as project cancellation and fierce competition, some positive trends are showing in financial performance. The survey reflects an improved, though still cautious, outlook by firms due to the implied increase in activity from future projections.

Given this context of constrained growth and fierce competition, to survive, it’s vital that your offering is clearly better than the alternative. Abolition of mandatory fee scales and lowest cost bidding has led to many firms competing solely on price; as a result, some firms report average fee discounts of 30%. But what truly sets apart the resilient ones?

“If you know the opponent and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Sun Tzu’s enduring wisdom highlights that true advantage lies in clarity—both in understanding the external challenges you face and in recognizing your strengths. In today’s competitive marketplace, this insight translates into knowing exactly what your clients need and aligning your offerings accordingly. In other words, winning long-term is less about the brute force of lowest-cost bids and more about converting knowledge into decisive, informed action that sets you apart from the competition.

How The B2B Buying Process Impacts Your Sales

Apart from the potential project risks involved with fee discounting, you are also exposed to the risk of only focusing on one dimension of value for the client. We explored available research and case studies into the other dimensions of value that clients considered to understand how B2B consultants can improve their chances of selection.

Consulting services are distinct due to the intangible nature of some of the services provided. Unlike tangible goods, the value of engineering consulting often resides in the expertise, problem-solving capabilities, and strategic advice offered, which can be challenging to assess definitively before engagement. This adds complexity to the procurement process, as buying organisations must rely on indicators of competence and trustworthiness rather than direct product evaluation.

Proportion of time spent on different aspects of the B2B buying process

B2B clients in the engineering space—whether from government, private developers, or other firms—follow a relatively structured procurement process. However, within that structure, nuanced buyer behaviour plays a critical role in the decision-making process.

Broadly speaking, the hiring of a consultant on a project can be broken down into two main aspects of search and selection. Various issues can trigger the search process, which goes through the typical stages of recognising the problem, identifying possible consultants, evaluating and selecting the consultant.

Only 17% of the time is spent on meeting potential suppliers when considering a purchase, according to research by Gartner; this time can be as low as 5% when multiple providers are considered. The problem is in part due to the complexity of the purchase and level of potential risk, which means there can be up to ten participants in the process.

Tailor Your Message For Every Role In The Buying Process

The types and number of people involved vary with each project, but generally they consist of similar roles such as initiators, buyers, users, influencers and decision makers. Each member of the process has a specific set of requirements they need to meet. The result is a complex web of influencers, users, and decision-makers, each with their own priorities.

Furthermore, the decision to procure consulting services can be a highly political process within organizations, frequently involving senior leadership who may directly influence or even bypass standard procurement procedures.

Speak to whats relevant for each role in your clients decision making unit

Though the final purchase might reside with a single individual, it’s important to provide each participant with a reason to purchase. Structure the information you share in a way that speaks to their priorities;

Users might require a focus on day-to-day performance impact and functionality. Include technical details, use cases and examples of how your process supports their efficiency.

Buyers are concerned with cost, payment terms and risk. They need clear justification for spending and how your offer compares to other options in the market.

Decision makers care about long-term value and return on investment and need to see how you help them meet the business objectives. Highlight case studies that show the long-term impact and benefits of your process.

Build Your Influence Before You Even Enter The Room

Unsurprisingly, buyers of consulting services tend to use both objective and subjective measures during selection. Respondents to a 2020 study revealed that some purchases have a champion who advocates for their implementation. This can be the result of positive past experience or credible recommendation through personal sources that impact subjective impressions.

However, the personal sources can provide objective metrics, such as a colleague telling you, “They (the supplier) completed the project 2 weeks early and under budget.” Rational and emotional dimensions of decision making influence; build your references through a strong digital presence and active industry networking, supported by exceptional customer service. Buyers typically use personal sources like word of mouth, to trim the list of potential suppliers following initial screening through non-personal sources like advertising.

In public procurement, the PPPFA (Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act) criteria, including BBBEE status and price vs. functionality scoring, are essential. For private sector clients, it often boils down to the perceived risk of underperformance.

Biases That Can Triple Your Chances of B2B Success

77% of B2B buyers find the purchase process complex according to Gartner

Our modern information-rich existence, powered by the rise of the internet that puts almost everything a click away, also means clients can get easily overwhelmed by information during the purchase journey.

As many as 77% of respondents in a Gartner survey described their purchase as difficult and very complex, making it vital to increase the ease of this process for them.

Buyer enablement is the process of ensuring clients receive the information that advances them through their purchase journey tasks.

How supporting clients through the B2B buying process impacts your odds of success

Buyer enablement information is often shareable, aligns with emotional needs in a way that leads back to your unique differentiator.

The survey also found that suppliers seen as helpful in advancing the journey were 3 times more likely to make a bigger purchase with less regret. Providing clients with information that’s credible and relevant to the role and purchase journey tasks drives ease of purchase and generation of high-quality leads. While technical capability is the minimum threshold, the final decision is frequently driven by trust, clarity, and perceived ease of working together.

What Makes A Resilient B2B Service Offering

Price is undoubtedly a vital criterion for selection in a purchase decision; however, it’s not the only priority for decision makers. Research into buying behaviour reveals that organizations rate service support, ability to compare with other suppliers, and guarantee of results as the most important with delivery time and supplier reputation coming in second.

If your service can propose a radical solution that offers a competitive advantage, price becomes a fixed cost compared against the existing risk involved with not fixing the issue, which can lead to unknown costs.

So what does resilience look like in this space? Based on industry insight, resilient firms consistently demonstrate the following traits:

Ease of Access

Make your B2B proposal clear and relevant to stakeholders

Research suggests buyers favour vendors whose staff are easily available for help when required, while making purchase decisions. They articulate clearly what differentiates them—be it a specialist focus, faster turnaround, or in-depth knowledge and do so in a way that is easily accessible to the decision makers.

Operational Reliability

A clear process if vital for b2b sales success

They have repeatable, documented processes that enable consistent delivery, even in uncertain project environments.

Credibility

A transparent process builds trust and credibility in B2B sales

They show transparency in cost, process, and outcomes; they provide documentation, case studies, and references up front.

Strong Communication Culture

Communicate promptly and consistently to build trust in B2B sales

They prioritise client alignment through regular updates, clear deliverables, and responsiveness are key to navigating multi-stakeholder projects.

Strategic Flexibility

Being adaptable is an advantage in B2B sales

They adapt offerings based on market conditions—e.g., offering modular engineering packages or expanding advisory capabilities in key industry areas.

Beyond Technical Skills

Sun Tzu’s timeless insight, from earlier in this article, is like having a detailed map of a challenging battlefield—one where every hill, valley, and enemy position is clearly marked. In the competitive landscape, this means understanding both the external market conditions and your internal strengths.

Just as a general who studies the terrain and troop capabilities can devise a winning strategy, a business that truly grasps its market environment and internal capabilities can craft strategies that speak directly to its customers’ needs. An effective process, much like a well-drawn battlefield plan, captures the specific requirements of each stakeholder while showcasing your unique value.

In a complex, highly competitive landscape, technical skills are necessary—but not sufficient. The firms that thrive are those that align closely with how B2B clients buy: they’re easy to work with, clear on their value, reliable under pressure, and trusted to deliver.

As infrastructure needs evolve—from smart cities to sustainable energy—the resilient B2B engineering consultant will be the one who sees beyond specs and scopes, and into the client’s real decision-making priorities. Happy strategising!

Sources and references:

Gartner (2019). How to adapt your sales and marketing strategies to the current state of B2B buying. Retrieved from:

https://www.gartner.com/en/sales/insights/b2b-buying-journey

CESA (2024) BI-ANNUAL ECONOMIC AND CAPACITY SURVEY

P N Okonkwo, J Wium (2019) Impact of discounted professional fees on the risk exposure of civil and structural engineering services consultants in South Africa. Retrieved from

https://scielo.org.za/pdf/jsaice/v60n1/02.pdf

Dubravka S Ć (2021)Factors Influencing Organisational Buying Decisions in the Manufacturing Industry: Are Products and Services Procurement Different?. Retrieved from

https://www.cesa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BECS-June-2024.pdf

Arbnor B & Fredrik C (2011) A study of the industrial buying behaviour in Life Science organizations when faced with a radical innovation. Retrieved from

https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:426740/FULLTEXT01.pdf

A. R. Chitra,B. Neeraja,KannigaPrashanth (2019) Technical Considerations Influencing Purchase Decisions in the B2B Environment. Retrieved from

https://www.ijitee.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/v8i6s4/F11420486S419.pdf

Only 5% of the B2B Buying Journey Is Spent Meeting Suppliers—Make It Count

Differentiate Through Responding To Patient Needs

4 Ways Challenger Brands Compete Against Incumbents in South Africa’s FMCG Market

Only 5% of the B2B Buying Journey Is Spent Meeting Suppliers—Make It Count

The Invisible Advantage: Communicating The Intangible Value of Your B2B Services

Only 5% of the B2B Buying Journey Is Spent Meeting Suppliers—Make It Count

How The B2B Buying Process Impacts Your Sales

Tailor Your Message For Every Role In The Buying Process

Build Your Influence Before You Even Enter The Room

Biases That Can Triple Your Chances of B2B Success

What Makes A Resilient B2B Service Offering

Beyond Technical Skills

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