Unlearning Discovery: New Research Shows Why B2B Sales Must Evolve

The data is telling: only 45 percent of sellers and buyers align on the core problem after discovery conversations, and in lost deals, that number plummets to 23 percent.

This misalignment represents both a crisis and an opportunity. What if you could transform discovery from a preliminary step into the cornerstone of the entire sales process—an adaptive framework that not only uncovers true challenges but helps buyers see their situation with fresh eyes?

This article explores a research-backed framework for rethinking discovery. By moving beyond superficial questions and tapping into the behavioral and psychological underpinnings of buyer decisions, sellers can transform discovery into a strategic advantage.

With insights from over 600 B2B buyers and original research into decision-making biases, you’ll see you how to navigate this uncharted territory and help your buyers—and your deals—chart a better course.

The Changing Dynamics of Buyer-Seller Interactions

The modern B2B buying journey has fundamentally changed. Armed with digital resources, peer recommendations, and review sites, buyers conduct extensive research on their own before engaging with sellers.

While this self-education might appear beneficial at first blush, our research reveals a concerning paradox: increased access to information often leads to decreased clarity about the actual problem.

Most troubling is what happens next.

Our analysis of over 600 B2B buying decisions revealed that even when presented with clear evidence that they’re on the wrong path, buyers frequently persist with suboptimal solutions. This phenomenon, known as Escalation of Commitment, poses a particular challenge for modern sales organizations.

Three interconnected psychological forces create this commitment trap:

• The Sunk Cost Fallacy drives buyers to justify continued investment based on resources already spent
• Cognitive dissonance creates resistance to information that contradicts their chosen path
• Organizational pressure—including stakeholder expectations and fear of losing credibility—makes course correction politically risky

Traditional discovery approaches often backfire in these situations. When sellers probe into current plans and processes, they inadvertently trigger defensive responses that strengthen rather than loosen the buyer’s commitment to their chosen path. This is especially true when buyers have already invested significant time and resources in a particular direction.

Read the full article (ungated) to learn more about this new, evidence-backed framework for modern sales discovery.