B2B Customer Journeys 101: Key Takeaways from Our Webinar
80% of companies compete primarily on customer experience in today’s B2B landscape —yet many businesses, particularly in industries like renewable energy, still struggle to deliver seamless, customer-centric journeys.
This matters to your bottom line. Research from the Temkin Group shows that businesses earning $1B+ annually can increase revenue by $700M within three years by improving customer experience. A well-structured journey = better retention, advocacy, and ultimately, higher growth.
As customer experience directly impacts revenue, we recently hosted a webinar exploring the B2B customer journey in depth, drawing on our agency expertise and exclusive insights from our Digital Customer Journey Report.
If you missed it, don’t worry—this article will walk you through the key takeaways and get you up to speed. Or, you can watch the webinar below:
Understanding the B2B Customer Journey
As you well know, the B2B customer journey is so complex as large organisations have multiple customers, each on their own journey with that organisation.
These include:
- External customers – The buyers of your product or service - of which there are many in the B2B space. Data suggests that 8-12 decision makers are involved in complex B2B decisions.
- Internal customers – Employees who interact with your brand daily.
- Investors & partners – Stakeholders with a vested interest in your business.
- Talent & recruitment – Potential employees evaluating your company.
Marketers broadly agree that each of these groups moves through five key stages which define the typical customer journey:
- Discovery – How they find you.
- Consideration – What factors influence their decision-making.
- Conversion – What nudges people over the line to take action and buy into your product or service.
- Retention/Engagement – How you keep your customers engaged.
- Advocacy – Turning customers into brand champions.
Considering each of these phases is vital in creating a complete B2B customer journey - each full of marketing activations that compel the decision maker to continue down the funnel.
In 2023, we conducted a study to evaluate how businesses performed across each stage of this digital journey. Let’s take a look at what we discovered and how this can help you refine your own.
Customer Journey Analysis: What We Learned from 200+ Hours of Research
With such a significant time-investment, what was our goal?
We hear a lot about customer journey mapping. But we wanted to go further: to understand the checkpoints on that map in full and investigate whether there’s any correlation between a company’s success—measured in revenue and growth—and its ability to deliver a strong customer experience in each phase.
We analysed 15 global multi-million pound brands towards this aim.
The result? Our Digital Customer Journey Report which revealed a staggering 130-point performance gap between the top and bottom companies.
So, drum roll: what were the features of the best performers?
While weaker brands focused too much on conversion, neglecting early and ongoing interactions, the best companies excelled in discovery, engagement and advocacy.
Wildtribe’s Fundamentals for Tip-Top B2B Customer Experience
The study revealed that too narrow a focus on the point of sale simply does not work for the complexity of B2B-buying experiences. Here’s our agency’s key takeaways which we use day-to-day in crafting the best customer experiences for our own clients.
Trust & values matter
Trust is crucial, with 87% of consumers viewing it as essential. According to customers themselves it’s built through brand reputation (69%) and customer experience (two-thirds). However, trust must be earned—90% of CEOs believe customers trust their companies, but only 30% of customers agree (PWC survey). That’s quite a blindspot!
Messaging must align with customer needs
Don’t just talk about yourself—make sure your messaging resonates with what your customers are actually looking for.
Support decision-making
Understanding your customers’ motivations, objections, and priorities can help you refine engagement strategies.
Deliver the right amount of information
Bombarding customers with details too soon can overwhelm them. Instead, guide them step by step.
Easy commitment-wins to breed longer-term engagement
Small initial commitments like following a page, engaging with a post or (signing up for a newsletter) increase the likelihood of ongoing engagement. So keep these easy-engagement wins for buyers consistent.
Wiltribe’s Practical Tips for B2B Marketing
Marketing isn’t just about being seen—it’s about being understood, trusted, and chosen. Clarity, authenticity, and adaptability make all the difference. Here is our experts’ rundown of
1. Your Value Proposition Must Be Clear and Immediate
Your website, brochures, and sales materials should make it obvious what you do. Avoid vague statements and get straight to the point.
Instead of: “We provide innovative solutions for energy businesses.”
Try: “We help renewable energy companies win more customers with data-driven marketing.”
2. Guide Customers Through Their Decision Process
Buyers decide in seconds if they’re in the right place, asking: ✅ Do they meet my needs? ✅ Do they share my values? ✅ Do they offer useful resources? ✅ How do they compare? ✅ Are they the right fit?
Make answering these seamless with clear, accessible messaging.
And it all starts with your value proposition—if it’s not front and center in your homepage’s H1, you’re missing a trick.
3. Context Matters: The B2B Customer is Changing
Today’s B2B buyers prioritise social and environmental values—84% factor corporate responsibility into decisions (AMA). Authenticity is key; misalignment drives disengagement.
Case in point: in 2025, some Tesla owners placed stickers on their cars to distance themselves from the brand. Alignment matters!
4. Appreciate Digital Nativism
Today’s B2B decision-makers are digital natives, and businesses must adapt. With 80% of sales interactions now digital (Gartner), nearly half of millennial buyers prefer to skip sales reps entirely. To stay relevant, organisations must embrace new technologies and a digital-first approach.
6. “Real is Rare” – Authenticity Wins
Customers crave authenticity—real connections over corporate bragging. Even B2B brands need to be human and should focus on:
✅ Showcasing real people, teams, and behind-the-scenes moments.
✅ Building community-driven, customer-first experiences through engaging content (videos, case studies, webinars).
Authenticity isn’t a trend—it’s the trust-builder that sets brands apart.
Where Do We Go from Here?
The B2B customer journey isn’t static—it’s evolving. Businesses that invest in customer experience will be the ones that thrive.
If you missed the webinar, you can catch the recording here to go deeper into how we advise maximising opportunities in your customer journey. Our regular dose of B2B marketing know-how may also give you the insights you need to get found, be heard and grow.
If you need help optimising your customer journey, send us a message with your biggest customer experience challenge. And if you’re not sure why your customer journey isn’t running as smoothly as it should, let us take a look under the hood of your digital communications and online presence.
