Editorial
The Gist
- Social proof drives decisions. Buyers rely heavily on case studies, reviews and expert recommendations to guide vendor choices.
- Motivation matters as much as validation. Social proof isn’t just reassurance — it fuels the confidence needed to commit to strategic plans.
- Organizations need internal proof. Storing lessons, decisions and outcomes builds an internal knowledge base that supports future leaders.
I’ve been speaking recently with business leaders about vendor selection. It’s well known in B2B circles that buyers have completed most of their journey before they even talk to a vendor.
Gartner does some great studies on this: what buyers think and say along their journey. Gartner also studies the type of content that makes the most difference in the vendor selection process. In this latest study, 41% of buyers cited case studies as the most influential source of information. In fact, taken together, all forms of social proof (not only case studies but customer reviews, industry expert recommendations and so on) account for 90% of the most influential content.
Table of Contents
- Why Buyers Trust Case Studies and Reviews
- Beyond Social Proof: Confidence and Commitment
- Building Organizational Memory
- Creating Internal Social Proof
Why Buyers Trust Case Studies and Reviews
Google also produced some seminal research: the "Messy Middle." That showed social proof (for example, the presence of 5 star reviews) is the most powerful behavioral bias marketers can use in their content and digital advertising to get consumers to switch from competitor brands.
However, B2B purchases are typically complex. B2B buyers will understand they are not in identical situations to other businesses. Despite a compelling case study, it’s unreasonable to assume that they will achieve the same outcomes. As the automakers perpetually remind us, "your mileage may vary."
There is a deep human quality at play here. Humans use social proof as a cognitive shortcut; other people say it’s good, so it must be good. In the B2B world, a great example of using social proof (albeit in the negative) was "no one ever got fired for buying IBM."
Related Article: The B2B Buying Journey: 4 Ways to Speed Things Up
Beyond Social Proof: Confidence and Commitment
Based on those conversations with business leaders though, I think there is something else at play here. People also need social proof as a form of motivation. The belief that they can achieve what they want, not only by making a decision, but sticking to it and seeing it through.
Think about this in the context of internal decisions rather than vendor selection. Having the confidence (and motivation) to take your business in one direction over another. Invest in one program over another. Activate some marketing channels not all marketing channels. Making a strategic choice.
Motivation and Strategic Follow-Through
We make plans based on the information available to us at the time, with much debate, discussion and due diligence. Yet time and again, teams are drawn from a chosen path by the next shiny new thing. I’ve seen plans and strategic decisions made one week, only for new or different actions to be recommended literally a week later. They’re not bad things to do in isolation, they’re just not part of the plan we agree to.
Can we grow revenue 30% by the end of the year? Executing this plan says we can… but we can’t be sure because we haven’t done it already. The external social proof doesn’t exist. There are no client reviews or case studies for successful strategies – each strategy by definition should be different and aligned to the individual organization. What happens therefore is we hedge. Our strategy is to do (or be) A, but let’s also do B and C just I case.
If nobody is out there quite like you and future returns can’t be guaranteed, where do you look for that confidence to make the right decision and stick with it? There are rules of thumb out there. But how about using your own social proof? Only when we believe the outcome is possible or likely, can we commit to consistent execution of a strategy.
Building Organizational Memory
I recently worked in a business where we took a decision to re-enter a specific industry market. Because we knew it would take time to establish credibility and sales cycles were very long, the (significant) return was far off. The main driver behind the decision was actually experience of having the discussion "if only we’d started 12 months ago."
Average CMO tenures are frighteningly short. I had the advantage of being in post for some years and being able to draw on my own experiences and memories in the business. But what if I had been able to make that decision even earlier in my tenure, if my predecessor had stored their experience so I could pick up where they left off?
Where should organizational memory stored? In the CRM? In the accounting software? In thousands of scattered presentations and spreadsheets stored in shared drives in various stages of completeness? When it comes to strategy and business planning, beyond the obvious data points that all business can access, could the organizational memory be structured, organized and codified better to help future executives make strategic decisions.
Being a "data-driven" leader is fine, but data often doesn’t capture the intent, the decisions, the experiences, and the context necessary to fully understand what has worked, what could work, and want won’t work.
Breaking Down Key Insights on Vendor Selection
This table outlines how social proof, confidence and organizational memory influence vendor selection and strategic decision-making.
| Theme | Insight | Action For Leaders |
|---|---|---|
| Social Proof In Vendor Selection | Buyers complete most of their journey before engaging vendors, with 90% of influential content rooted in case studies, reviews or expert opinions. | Invest in authentic social proof — case studies, testimonials, and peer validation — to influence purchase decisions earlier. |
| Confidence Beyond Validation | Social proof doesn’t just reassure; it motivates teams to commit to a chosen strategy and stay the course. | Use internal examples and progress milestones to reinforce belief in strategic plans and build accountability. |
| Strategic Discipline | Teams often deviate from plans due to uncertainty and new distractions, diluting execution and outcomes. | Align around measurable goals and resist adding new initiatives unless they support the original strategy. |
| Organizational Memory | Knowledge from past decisions and experiences is often lost in scattered files and presentations. | Centralize lessons learned and decision rationales using structured planning or documentation tools. |
| Internal Social Proof | Organizations can create confidence by building an internal record of what has worked, what hasn’t and why. | Develop an accessible internal knowledge base that future leaders can draw upon to make informed strategic choices. |
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Creating Internal Social Proof
I often think about better ways to store this organizational memory. I’d encourage readers to do the same. Start now. Consider dedicated planning software to properly document your plans, your programs of work, your results in a structured way that can form the basis of future decisions. Don’t let experiences and knowledge get lost in fragmented presentations and out of date spreadsheets. Start creating your own internal social proof. If not for you, then for your future successors.
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