Dminorstudio Newsletter
May 20th, 2026
Hey, Stephen here.
B2B strategy in most companies is a ritual.
It exists to make leadership feel confident, not to help buyers make decisions.
"When did you last talk to a real customer?"
I've asked this in dozens of B2B strategy sessions.
The room always gets quiet.
Most B2B strategies look great on paper. Clean slides. Smart frameworks. Solid budgets.
Then they hit the real market and stall.
Here's what I keep seeing:
Strategies built around what competitors are doing
Plans chasing the latest platform or tactic
Decks approved by leadership, ignored by sales
Zero input from actual buyers
Built on assumptions. Not on how buyers actually decide.
Strategy starts with the buyer
I've spoken with CEOs who spent 3 months developing a strategy. Detailed budgets. Channel plans. KPIs.
Then I ask that question. The room goes quiet.
If your strategy doesn't reflect how your buyers think, what they're afraid of, and how they get sign-off internally, it won't convert.
Your buyer talks to 5 to 10 people before making a B2B decision
70% of the buying decision happens before they contact sales
Your marketing needs to show up in that invisible phase, not just at the proposal stage
What a real B2B strategy is built on
I don't start with channels or content calendars.
I start with specific customer pain points.
Not "they want to grow revenue." Too vague. I mean: "Their sales cycle is 9 months, and the main obstacle is getting the CFO's sign-off in Q4."
That specificity changes the whole plan.
Talk to 5 real customers before writing a single strategy doc
Map the buying committee, not just the main contact
Find the 3 questions buyers ask before they say yes
When your strategy starts there, every tactic has a reason to exist.
Sales and marketing need to be in the same room
Marketing builds campaigns. Sales ignores them. Both teams blame each other.
I've seen this at companies with 10 people and 10,000.
The fix is simple, but nobody does it: put sales and marketing in the same quarterly planning meeting. Same data. Share what's working.
Sales hears objections every day that marketing has never addressed in content
Marketing creates assets that sales never uses because they don't match real conversations
When these 2 teams share goals, wasted spend drops fast
Plans that actually get executed
Strategy decks are easy to write. Running them for 90 days straight is hard.
Most B2B strategies fail in execution.
A strategy that never gets executed is just a document. Documents don't grow companies.
I build quarterly plans. 90 days. Clear actions. Assigned owners. Measurable checkpoints.
At the end of each quarter, I ask: "Did the strategy reflect how buyers actually behaved? What do we change?"
Break your annual strategy into 4 executable quarters
Review real performance data, not just impressions and clicks
Adjust based on what the market tells you, not your gut
Does your strategy match how your customers actually buy?
When did you last sit down with a real customer? Not a survey, not a persona doc. An actual conversation.
If you can't answer quickly, stop planning and start talking.
When did you last talk to a real customer, not read a report about them? This quarter, or longer than you'd like to admit?
Want to browse past issues? Click here.
P.S. Need help with your B2B digital marketing? Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call by replying directly to this newsletter.
👨💻 EXECUTIVE MARKETING INTELLIGENCE
Adobe surveyed nearly 800 B2B companies and found a big gap. Most want agentic AI to run their sales and marketing. Only 41% have the data foundation to do it. The ambition is there. The readiness isn't.
B2B marketing has moved fast in the last 18 months. 79% of buyers now use AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity to research solutions. Traditional SEO is losing ground. Buying groups have also grown from 5 to 16 decision-makers. That's a lot more people to win over.
The classic marketing funnel is done. In 2026, B2B growth happens through ecosystems, not pipelines. Customers, partners, and communities all create value together. Honestly, I find this exciting. Relationships matter more than ever.
📊 CHINA MARKET ADVANTAGE
Breaking Into China in 2026: Why "Being Seen First" Is the New Market Entry Strategy
In 2026, a great product alone won't get you into China. You need to show up before your competitors do, on AI-driven platforms like Baidu AI, DeepSeek, and WeChat. If Chinese buyers can't find your brand when they're searching for solutions, you've already lost.China's consumers are smarter and more selective than ever, from Baby Boomers who buy based on trust to Gen Z who buys based on community. Traditional SEO alone won't cut it anymore. You also need to show up in AI-generated answers. I'm seeing this more and more with my own clients.
A senior exec at Heidrick & Struggles says it plainly: global companies can't afford to ignore China. The market has moved beyond scale. It's now a real source of innovation and leadership talent.
🎬 THAT’S A WRAP
Before you go: Here are 2 ways I can help
B2B Digital Marketing Solution — We help B2B companies grow business through proven B2B digital marketing approaches.
China B2B Digital Marketing Solution — We use China-specific digital marketing approaches to help B2B companies grow in China market.
Until next time,.
— Stephen Tseng
