\n<\/p>\n
If you feel like acquiring new customers is harder than ever, you\u2019re not alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across industries, both B2B and B2C companies are seeing longer sales cycles, declining website traffic, and intense competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something has shifted, and companies that don\u2019t adapt are feeling the impact.<\/p>\n
In this episode, Alex Winter sits down with Marcus Sheridan, bestselling author, keynote speaker, and partner at IMPACT, to break down why businesses are struggling to close deals in today\u2019s market\u2014and more importantly what they can do to fix it.<\/p>\n
So, why is it getting harder to close deals and what can businesses do right now to win more customers and build long-term trust? Let\u2019s get into it.<\/p>\n
\u201c96% of sales and marketers see sales and marketing friction as a persistent challenge<\/a>,\u201d Alex notes at the start of the conversation. That\u2019s nearly every company.<\/p>\n Marcus doesn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cOne of the biggest trends we\u2019re seeing? Decision-makers are taking longer to make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n That alone is causing deals to stall, but that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n He breaks it down into five major reasons why businesses are struggling to close deals today:<\/p>\n Buyers are more hesitant, cautious, and risk-averse. They\u2019re taking their time, doing deeper research, and waiting longer before making a purchase decision.<\/p>\n This shift is largely due to increased access to information. Customers don\u2019t need to rely on salespeople as much as they used to\u2014they can gather insights from online reviews, competitor comparisons, and AI-powered search results. By the time they talk to a company, they\u2019ve already formed strong opinions.<\/p>\n If your business isn\u2019t proactively answering their questions before they reach out, you\u2019re already behind.<\/p>\n If your website\u2019s traffic has dipped, you\u2019re not alone. Google\u2019s algorithm changes and the rise of AI-powered search<\/a> is making it harder for businesses to get organic visibility.<\/p>\n Marcus explains, \u201cUsed to be, you\u2019d do a Google search, click on a blue link, and go to a company\u2019s website. Now? Not so much.\u201d<\/p>\n Google\u2019s AI results, knowledge panels, and featured snippets are keeping users on Google rather than sending them to websites. Add to that the dominance of social media platforms, where users engage with content without ever clicking through, and businesses are struggling to drive organic traffic.<\/p>\n Every market is crowded. More businesses\u2014both new and established\u2014are competing for the same audience. And when supply is high but demand is steady, pricing wars break out.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies are slashing prices just to stay in the game,\u201d Marcus points out. \u201cBut competing on price alone is a losing strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, businesses need to focus on what makes them different\u2014not just cheaper. The companies winning today aren\u2019t necessarily the cheapest.<\/p>\n They\u2019re the ones offering more trust, transparency, and value upfront.<\/p>\n The way companies market themselves has changed, yet many are still operating under an old-school mindset\u2014especially those that outsource all their marketing to agencies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe traditional marketing agency model is becoming less effective,\u201d Marcus says bluntly.<\/p>\n Why? Because agencies don\u2019t have the deep, inside-out knowledge of your company, product, and customer experience that your own team does.\u00a0<\/p>\n If marketing is entirely outsourced, it often becomes generic, misaligned with sales, and disconnected from actual customer pain points.<\/p>\n Businesses that own their marketing in-house<\/a>\u2014by training internal teams to create valuable content and engage directly with customers\u2014see better results than those that hand off all responsibility to an agency.<\/p>\n It\u2019s louder than ever online. With more businesses producing content and AI making it easier to generate marketing materials, it\u2019s getting harder for brands to cut through the clutter.<\/p>\n \u201cIf no one knows who you are\u2014or they don\u2019t trust you\u2014your marketing efforts won\u2019t matter,\u201d Marcus emphasizes.<\/p>\n Building a strong brand today isn\u2019t just about being visible. It\u2019s about being known and trusted. If your content doesn\u2019t answer real customer questions, take strong stances, or provide meaningful insights, you\u2019ll just blend in with the noise.<\/p>\n The big takeaway? Traditional marketing and sales strategies aren\u2019t working like they used to.<\/p>\n The companies winning today are taking control. They\u2019re creating valuable content in-house, answering customer questions with radical transparency, and embracing the shift toward trust-based marketing and sales.<\/p>\n If your business is still playing by old rules, it\u2019s time to change the game.<\/p>\n If you feel like marketing strategies that worked five years ago are suddenly falling flat, you\u2019re not imagining things. Buyers today are radically different from those in the past.<\/p>\n And if your business hasn\u2019t adapted to meet these changes, you\u2019re already losing customers to competitors who have.<\/p>\n Marcus breaks it down into these 4 buckets:<\/p>\n Patience is in short supply these days.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve all been conditioned by instant gratification,\u201d Marcus explains. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to wait. We want answers now.\u201d<\/p>\n Think about the last time you were researching a product or service. Did you sit through a long sales pitch? Or did you try to find the information yourself as quickly as possible?<\/p>\n Buyers today expect companies to provide transparent, upfront information\u2014without making them jump through hoops.<\/p>\n That means if your website forces people to schedule a call just to get basic pricing info, or if they have to dig through pages of generic content to find an answer, they\u2019ll leave and go somewhere else.<\/p>\n Most buyers don\u2019t start their journey by reaching out to a salesperson.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMore than 80% of the buyer\u2019s journey is completed before they even reach out to a company<\/a>,\u201d Marcus explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n In other words, by the time someone fills out a contact form or books a demo, they\u2019ve already done their homework.\u00a0<\/p>\n They\u2019ve read reviews. They\u2019ve watched YouTube videos. They\u2019ve checked out competitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n If your website and content aren\u2019t helping them with that research\u2014answering their real questions, addressing their concerns, and providing the insights they need\u2014you\u2019re missing the biggest opportunity to influence their decision.<\/p>\n Buyers want to be in control of their experience.<\/p>\n Think about it: When was the last time you wanted to talk to a salesperson before you were ready?\u00a0<\/p>\n Probably never.<\/p>\n \u201cIf people can\u2019t get information without talking to a salesperson, they\u2019ll move on,\u201d Marcus says.<\/p>\n This is why self-service tools<\/a>\u2014like pricing calculators or interactive product configurators\u2014are becoming a staple.<\/p>\n Instead of forcing potential customers to call or email for information, businesses that provide on-demand access to pricing, product details, and answers are winning more deals.<\/p>\n If you feel like a lot of marketing content today sounds robotic and generic, you\u2019re not alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Marcus says, \u201cIt\u2019s bland, soulless, and lacks real opinions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n AI-generated blogs and formulaic corporate messaging have flooded the internet with uninspiring, forgettable content. And buyers can tell.\u00a0<\/p>\n The companies that stand out are the ones that tell compelling, honest stories. The ones that have a personality, take a stance and help their audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n If your content sounds like it was written for a business instead of real people, it\u2019s time to rethink your approach.<\/p>\n So what can companies do to build trust, win more customers, and future-proof their business?<\/p>\n It all comes down to becoming a known and trusted brand.<\/p>\n Buyers today don\u2019t just want another sales pitch. They want confidence that they\u2019re making the right choice.<\/p>\n That means companies that lead with trust, transparency, and real value will have the edge.<\/p>\n Marcus introduces a simple but powerful framework from his new book, Endless Customers, built around four core pillars that every business must master.<\/p>\n Most companies avoid discussing the topics buyers actually care about. The ones that tackle them head-on build trust faster.<\/p>\n Marcus calls these The Big Five<\/a>\u2014the top five topics customers obsess over when making a purchase:<\/p>\n If your company isn\u2019t addressing these topics, you\u2019re missing out on leads every single day.<\/p>\n \u201cMore than 80% of time spent online is with video,\u201d Marcus says. \u201cAnd that number is only going up.\u201d<\/p>\n Most businesses, however, don\u2019t use video effectively.<\/p>\n Marcus introduces The Selling 7<\/a>, a framework for the seven types of videos that drive the most leads and sales. One of the easiest wins?<\/p>\n Landing page videos.<\/p>\n Adding a short video next to your website forms explaining what happens after someone fills it out can double conversion rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMost companies don\u2019t do this,\u201d Marcus says, \u201cbut it\u2019s one of the simplest ways to increase leads overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n A mind-blowing stat: 75% of buyers would prefer a seller-free sales experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean salespeople are irrelevant\u2014it means buyers want control over the process.<\/p>\n One of the best ways to adapt? Self-Service tools.<\/p>\n Marcus shares a powerful example: A home improvement company was struggling to generate leads. By adding a self-pricing tool on their website, they saw an explosive increase\u2014from 200 leads per month to 700. That translated to millions in additional revenue.<\/p>\n The lesson? The easier you make it for buyers to self-educate and move forward on their terms, the more sales you\u2019ll close.<\/p>\n Technology is evolving fast. AI is becoming more common in sales and marketing, but many companies use it the wrong way\u2014making their brand feel robotic and impersonal.<\/p>\n Marcus argues that the smartest companies will use AI to enhance their humanity, not replace it.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n Buyers trust brands that feel real, personal, and authentic.<\/p>\n Most industries are filled with businesses playing it safe\u2014sticking to the same old playbook, avoiding risks, and doing things the way they\u2019ve always been done. But the real winners?<\/p>\n They break the rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n They challenge the status quo.\u00a0<\/p>\n They innovate.<\/p>\n Marcus sums it up perfectly, \u201cLeaders get lazy. Then someone comes in and breaks the rules. The market likes it. The rule breaker becomes the new leader.\u201d<\/p>\n If you want endless customers, the solution is clear. You must be willing to:<\/p>\n Disrupt your industry by doing what no one else is willing to do.<\/p>\n Do that, and you\u2019ll win more trust, close more deals, and future-proof your business<\/p>\n Marcus Sheridan is a writer, speaker, and business expert who\u2019s worked with companies all over the world. Marcus is the author of Endless Customers and They Ask, You Answer.<\/p>\n Connect with Marcus on LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n Learn more about Endless Customers<\/a><\/p>\n1. Sales cycles are longer than ever<\/h3>\n
2. Website traffic is down<\/h3>\n
3. Competition is fiercer than ever<\/h3>\n
4. Many businesses still rely on outdated marketing models<\/h3>\n
5. Brands struggle to stand out in the digital noise<\/h3>\n
How buyers have changed (and why your business needs to adapt)<\/h2>\n
1. Buyers are more impatient<\/h3>\n
2. They\u2019re more informed\u00a0<\/h3>\n
3. They crave self-service options<\/h3>\n
4. Buyers want answers fast<\/h3>\n
The Four Pillars of a Known and Trusted Brand<\/h2>\n
Pillar 1: Say what others in your space aren\u2019t willing to say<\/h3>\n
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Pillar 2: Show what others in your space aren\u2019t willing to show\u00a0<\/h3>\n
Pillar 3: Sell in a way others in your space aren\u2019t willing to sell<\/h3>\n
Pillar 4: Be more human than others in your space are willing to be<\/h3>\n
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It\u2019s time to disrupt your industry<\/h2>\n
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Connect with Marcus<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Keep Learning<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n