Back in 2011 Google told us that capturing the key decision making moment or ZMOT (Zero Moment of Truth - the first step of the customer making the buying decision) was key and marketing teams should spend time understanding when that would be, what people would be trying to understand and positioning their product/service as the solution to their requirement. This was particularly true as marketing became ever more mobile focussed. 

Marketers listened and banded the new jargon  about for a couple of years but ultimately were sceptical for a few reasons: Google has vested interests, it was hard to measure & last click attribution became the industry norm. 

Fast forward to 2019 and the Business to Business (B2B) sector is finally catching up with the Business to Consumer (B2C) by realising they need to change the way they sell to match the way B2B buyers are buying. Namely that professional buyers are replicating their private life behaviours and doing much more research online. How much research they are doing before instigating contact with a firm varies from study to study but is somewhere between 57 (Fujitsu) and 90 (Forrester) percent. 

Vendors have realised they need to "shift left" (imagine the buyers' journey moving along an X-axis from left to right) into this decision making/ consideration period. This enables them to lead the conversation, shape the challenges the buyers face and position themselves and their firm as the solution of choice before and at the Zero Moment of Truth. 

As there are multiple decision-makers in the B2B buying processes there are usually many moments of truth. Its important for vendors to enter the buying journey earlier, build consensus within the buying group and remain front of mind across the many different moments of truth presented (ZMOTs).