Business Growth Strategies For CEOs: Top CMOs On Marketing Strategy Implementations

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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Maximizing Your Position In Your Market

Mon, Sep 26, 2011 — Every company must develop a strategic direction that best fits its capabilities and its standing in its marketplace. Most business categories fall into similar market share patterns. There are three major players who, combined, have roughly 70-90% of the market. Then you have a group of small savvy specialists that have identified an underserved audience within the market. These tend to be businesses that succeed based on lower volumes, by definition, but much higher margins. In general, they tend to have no more than 5% of the market each. And, finally, you have the remaining companies in the category that live on the crumbs that are left over.

Growth Insights for CEOs

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

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Maximizing Your Position In Your Market

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