Buyers prefer self-service, but choose sellers for key tasks

29th September 2025 |   Journal Of Sales Transformation

Buyers favour online self-service tools over sellers when searching for general information and learning new things. However, for buying tasks requiring contextual intelligence, such as determining whether a product or service fits their company’s needs, buyers prefer to seek seller input. That’s according to Alice Walmesley, Director Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice.

“Instead of offering generic information that buyers can find elsewhere, sellers should offer unique guidance, acting as a sounding board for buyers,” she explains. “CSOs must encourage their sellers to create value by understanding what is most important for buyers at every stage of the buying process.”

Conducted in August–September 2024, a survey of 632 B2B buyers found most buyers prefer to carry out independent research through digital channels. Although many organizations have increased investment in outreach to reach hard-to-access buyers, 73% of B2B buyers actively avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach, the research found.

“Many B2B buyers feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the outreach they receive from sellers and the seller’s organization. Bad prospecting actively damages relationships with potential customers,” says Robert Blaisdell, VP Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice. “CSOs must rethink their outreach strategy to improve engagement and deliver the experience customers demand,” he adds.

Overall, 61% of B2B buyers prefer an overall rep-free buying experience, according to the Gartner survey.