Why do many B2B technology companies with complex solutions struggle to align sales and marketing? When you look around on LinkedIn, the solution seems simple: you just need to improve the ad creatives, build a sensible funnel, or optimize your outreach strategy.
However, those who make decisions in this area have often already experienced that exactly these marketing playbooks do not work. This is rarely due to the quality of the agency or the execution. It is due to the way the offering is presented. Classic marketing aims to reach a person in a specific target group and convince them to make a purchasing decision.
The problem is not the tool itself – a funnel is a logical structure. But for a decision that matures over years and involves an entire committee, a model that primarily focuses on short-term activation falls short. It cannot replace the multi-year building of trust and relevance, but can only channel it at the right moment.
The problem does not affect all B2B companies. A SaaS tool with a low entry price and a single decision-maker works well with classic conversion levers. The companies for which the classic playbook does not structurally fit can be characterized by four features:
1. High investment volume: Purchase decisions in the six to seven figures, often with implementation costs on top.
2. Long decision cycle: Months to years between first contact and closing.
3. Buying Committee: Multiple decision-makers from different areas (engineering, finance, management).
4. High switching costs: Once systems are implemented, they are rarely switched – investment cycles of five to ten years are the norm.
Companies to which this applies – for example in industrial automation, ERP systems, or security technology – offer “investment-intensive B2B solutions”. And different rules apply to these solutions in marketing.
When it comes to purchasing an automation solution for industry, the probability of calling someone at exactly the right time is extremely low. We are not talking about the target group probably not being interested in investment discussions right now. We are talking about 95 percent of the time.
This figure is not an estimate but is empirically proven. Professor John Dawes from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, in collaboration with the LinkedIn B2B Institute, formulated the so-called 95:5 rule [1]. The logic is compellingly simple: If companies change their service provider (e.g., for ERP systems or telecommunications) on average every five years, then in any given year only 20 percent of companies are even in the market for a change. In a quarter, it is 5 percent.
This means, conversely: 95 percent of your potential customers are simply not ready to buy at the moment. If the investment cycle of a solution is even longer, this proportion is even higher.
Even the most compelling ad creative is useless if a company has just implemented new software for 500,000 euros. The decision cycle takes years, and the buying committee consists of six to ten people. A funnel alone doesn't solve this problem. It doesn't replace the multi-year building of trust and relevance.
So the problem is not the sales script or the landing page. It is the lack of presence in the years before the purchase decision. We call this structural visibility – ongoing, qualitative contacts with the target audience that build awareness and trust.
Structural visibility means building presence long before the concrete need arises. It is not primarily conversion-driven, but trust-building. In practice, this means:
– Continuous presence in trade media (earned media).
– Positioning as a thought leader on platforms like LinkedIn.
– Visibility at industry events.
The goal of these measures is not the immediate lead. The goal is: When the five-year investment cycle ends and the company moves into the 5 percent of active buyers, you are already on the shortlist.
For many marketing decision-makers, this is a metric that feels too “soft”. How am I supposed to measure or prove that a potential customer has seen my brand three times in a trade magazine and viewed four thought leadership posts? Yet the challenges of measurability do not change the fact that it is precisely these contacts that can tip the scales in the crucial 5% time window.
If we shift the focus from short-term leads to structural visibility, we need new indicators for success. Instead of only looking at the CPL (Cost per Lead), metrics such as pipeline velocity, self-reported attribution (“How did you hear about us?”), and share of voice in relevant trade media move to the forefront. They are the harbingers of what ultimately matters: qualified conversations instead of clicks.
As soon as a company enters the active market, information behavior changes. Targeted research now begins. At this moment, you must be present.
Targeted visibility means:
– Findability for specific, purchase-intent search terms (Search).
– Presence in the media and on the platforms used for active research.
This is where performance marketing and search come into play – but they only work efficiently if structural visibility has already built trust beforehand. Anyone who is a blank slate at this moment will find it far more difficult to convince the decision-making gatekeepers.
When structural and targeted visibility are crucial, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) will be where they converge in the future. AI searches like ChatGPT or Perplexity are increasingly becoming the first step in complex B2B research.
Those who are not referenced here as a trustworthy source do not exist for a growing number of decision-makers. And AI systems prefer to cite sources that have high structural visibility – i.e., established trade media and recognized experts. GEO is therefore not a trend accessory, but the logical continuation of a strategy that relies on long-term trust.
Despite all the need for optimization: The ad creative is not the problem of marketing for capital-intensive B2B solutions. Successful B2B marketing for complex solutions is not a rejection of modern tactics, but rather a classification of their limits of validity. It is about recognizing when we can harvest demand and when we need to lay the structural foundation to even make it onto the shortlist. Those who understand the 95:5 rule as a foundation stop producing past the actual bottleneck.
The decisive question is often not whether you need more marketing – but rather which type of visibility is truly relevant for your buying reality. If you would like to assess this for your company, feel free to write to me at stefan.epler@epos-marketing.com. I read every message personally.
What does structural visibility mean in B2B marketing?
Structural visibility refers to the long-term building of presence and trust with potential customers, long before they have a concrete intention to buy. It is achieved through continuous thought leadership, trade media relations, and industry presence, not through short-term conversion campaigns.
Why do classic funnels often fail for complex B2B solutions?
For investment-intensive B2B solutions, purchase cycles often take years. According to the 95:5 rule, at any given time, 95 percent of potential customers are not ready to buy. Classic funnels usually target only the 5 percent of active buyers and ignore long-term trust building.
How do structural visibility and GEO relate?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) aims to be cited in AI answers. AI systems prefer sources with high authority and consistent presence. Strong structural visibility (e.g., through earned media) is therefore a fundamental prerequisite for successful GEO.
[1] John Dawes, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science: „The 95:5 Rule“ (2021). https://johndawes.info/the-955-rule/
Stefan is Co-Founder of EPOS and has been involved in B2B marketing and communications for more than 20 years.
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