Pete Hayes

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Co-Author of #1 Amazon Best Seller "The Growth Gears" and Co-Principal of Chief Outsiders since 2010, Pete Hayes possesses an impressive track record of success in global marketing, promotion, brand development and consulting. He has held executive marketing positions with Fortune 100 companies, managing $50 million budgets, and he has also played key executive management roles in helping startups grow from first steps to over $1 billion in revenue. He enjoys speaking to CEO Peer Boards as well as to Business Schools.
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Recent Posts

Your Buyers Have Already Shortlisted You—Or They Haven't

Your Buyers Have Already Shortlisted You—Or They Haven't

Wed, Sep 2, 2026 | Posted by Sabrina Donley

 

Executive Takeaways

  • 95% of B2B buyers purchase from the vendors on their initial shortlist, formed before any formal buying process begins.
  • That shortlist is increasingly built inside AI platforms your analytics can't see.
  • AI referral traffic is roughly 1% of total website traffic, yet 15% or more of conversions appear to originate from AI-influenced research, a gap standard attribution misses entirely.
  • If you're not on the Day One list, spend alone won't fix it.

Part 3 of our four-part series on the evolving AI search landscape and what B2B leaders need to know to stay competitive.

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