SPOTLIGHT: Why 80% of B2B Buying Happens Without You | Alexander Kesler, CEO @ INFUSE

Buyers stopped picking up the phone. They research on their own, ask their peers, and now they ask AI which vendors to consider before a single salesperson ever hears about it. So where does that leave marketers?

Sam Jacobs sits down with Alexander Kesler, founder and CEO of Infuse, to break down the dark funnel and what it means for B2B demand gen right now. They get into why most of the buying journey happens before you're ever contacted, how AI tools are generating "day one" shortlists on the spot, and why the real game is earning a spot on the day zero shortlist — the vendors a buyer already trusts no matter what ChatGPT says.

Alex has spent 25+ years building companies across marketing, media, and data, and is the author of two books on B2B marketing best practices. His advice for marketers comes down to one thing: stay flexible, read the research, and build the relationship before the buyer is in market.

What we get into:
Why the traditional B2B sales funnel no longer reflects how today's buyers actually buy
What the Dark Funnel is and why 80% of the buying journey happens before prospects contact sales
The difference between Day Zero and Day One shortlists and why every marketer needs to understand both
How AI and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) are reshaping vendor discovery
Why building trust and thought leadership before buyers are in-market is the new competitive advantage
Alex Kesler's advice for modern B2B marketers on staying relevant in an AI-first world

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
00:36 Meet Alex Kesler and Infuse
03:10 The dark funnel explained
05:16 Why buyers don't want to talk to sales anymore
08:07 The AI buying journey and Day One shortlists
11:28 GEO: Winning recommendations from AI search
14:07 Day Zero vs. Day One: The new marketing playbook
16:06 Marketing 101 is making a comeback
16:27 Why ABM can limit your growth
17:35 The #1 trait every modern B2B marketer needs
19:20 Alex's leadership philosophy: Do the right thing
20:36 Where to find Alex and Infuse
Try Infuse: infuse.com