Hijacking the Buyer’s Journey: How to Win Business Before the RFP
- Gordon G. Andrew
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
For most B2B firms, the sales pipeline looks like a funnel. In reality, it’s more like a pinhole.
At any given time, only about 5% of your total addressable market is actively shopping for what you sell. The other 95% aren’t looking, aren’t ready, or haven’t yet recognized that they have a problem or opportunity worth addressing.
That 5% figure isn’t a marketing myth. It’s confirmed by the LinkedIn B2B Institute and other research. And it explains why so many B2B firms, even those with solid reputations and steady outbound activity, are struggling to convert new business. They’re all chasing the same 5%.
The Futility of Competing for the 5%
When your marketing strategy depends on reaching buyers already “in market,” you’re entering a race that’s almost impossible to win.
By the time a prospect begins researching options, they’ve likely defined their problem, scoped their requirements, and created a short list of vendors. If you’re not already in the conversation, you’re competing on the same level as everyone else...where differentiation disappears and price dominates.
Marketing automation platforms and intent-data feeds were supposed to fix that. They haven’t.
The Mirage of “Intent” Data
Many firms now rely on “intent” data from sources like ZoomInfo, Bombora, or Demandbase – platforms that track online searches, content consumption, and keyword activity to signal who might be in the market.
The theory is appealing. The problem is reality.
If that data tells you a prospect is researching your topic, it tells hundreds of your competitors the same thing. Which means your “exclusive” opportunity becomes a feeding frenzy of identical pitches; most of which are irrelevant, self-serving, and brand-damaging.
Even if the data were 100% accurate (and it rarely is), it still reflects reactive marketing. You’re waiting for prospects to act before you engage. By that point, you’ve already lost the timing advantage.
The Opportunity is in the Other 95%
The real market opportunity lies with the buyers who aren’t shopping yet.
They may not have defined the issue, but it already exists. A hidden inefficiency. A compliance exposure. A strategic gap. A missed opportunity.
The firms that grow fastest, and with the healthiest margins, are those that identify those latent needs early and position themselves as the first to name, frame, and solve them.
I call this approach hijacking the buyer’s journey to win business
What “Hijacking” Really Means
To be clear, this isn’t about manipulation. It’s about anticipation.
“Hijacking” means intercepting the buying process before it begins. Before the prospect writes an RFP, calls for proposals, or even defines the problem. It’s about demonstrating expertise and insight in a way that helps the prospect see the issue clearly, and naturally trust you to help fix it.
When you’re the first to define the problem, you often become the default solution.
Real-World Examples of Hijacking the Buyer's Journey to Win Business
Executive Search FirmA search firm that tracks SEC filings notices a sudden string of restatements in the financials of several mid-cap companies. Rather than waiting for CFO or compliance searches to hit the market, the firm reaches out with a short, insight-driven briefing: “Why restatements often signal upcoming leadership transitions; and what to do before it becomes urgent.” That outreach positions them as a strategic advisor before any formal search begins.
IT Consulting Firm - A consulting firm monitors new data privacy regulations in multiple states. As deadlines approach, it identifies which of its target companies have subsidiaries or digital operations in those jurisdictions, and offers a free assessment on potential compliance gaps. They’re not chasing an RFP; they’re creating the business case for one.
Benefits Advisory Firm - A benefits consultant tracks M&A announcements and funding rounds. When a private-equity portfolio company announces its third acquisition in 18 months, the firm reaches out to discuss post-merger benefits harmonization, which is a problem the client hasn’t yet prioritized. They start the conversation months before any HR system RFP.
Construction Engineering Firm - A regional engineering firm monitors state budget announcements and infrastructure bills. When new allocations are made, they proactively contact municipalities and developers to discuss early-stage planning, before public bid notices are released. They influence scope and secure preferred positioning long before competitors get wind.
SaaS Solutions Provider - A mid-market SaaS firm tracks job postings in target industries. When multiple postings reference manual reporting or spreadsheet-heavy workflows, it signals inefficiency. The firm sends a short “efficiency insight” note with examples of automation gains achieved by similar clients. They’re not selling. They’re educating. And they get the first call when the pain becomes real.
Each of these examples demonstrates the same principle:
Trigger recognition + insight-driven engagement = first-mover advantage.
Building an Internal System to Spot Triggers
To make hijacking the buyer’s journey sustainable, B2B firms need a repeatable process. Here’s a simple four-step framework:
1. Identify Triggers
Define the early signals that typically precede demand for your services. These can be external (new regulations, funding rounds, leadership changes, M&A activity, technology shifts) or internal (operational breakdowns, missed targets, public filings, product recalls).
2. Assign Watchlists
Map your highest-value targets and assign monitoring responsibilities. Marketing can track macro triggers; business development can monitor micro triggers tied to key accounts or roles.
3. Create Insight Assets
Develop a library of short, non-promotional content tied to each trigger: articles, charts, one-pagers, or quick Loom videos that educate and add value. These assets let you engage early with credibility, not desperation.
4. Capture Learning
Track which triggers and outreach methods generate conversations or leads. Over time, this data becomes a proprietary “early indicator” system, which is far more valuable than any third-party intent feed.
From Marketing Automation to Strategic Anticipation
This approach requires a mindset shift. Most firms still equate marketing efficiency with automation: more emails, more sequences, more impressions. But the real metric should be relevance – and the ability to get in front of a buyer before they know they need you.
Automation delivers volume.Anticipation delivers velocity.
When you identify a problem early, help define it, and guide the thinking around solutions, you eliminate many of the pre-engagement steps that slow sales cycles. You also enter the conversation with higher perceived value and lower price sensitivity.
That’s how market leaders behave — and how challengers become market leaders.
The Payoff
Hijacking the buyer’s journey gives B2B firms a strategic edge that no algorithm can replicate:
Shorter sales cycles...because you’re involved earlier.
Higher win rates...because you helped shape the need.
Stronger brand trust...because you’re seen as an advisor, not a pursuer.
It’s not a trick. It’s a discipline that turns insight into access, and access into opportunity.
Ready to Build Your First-Mover Advantage?
If your firm wants to move from marketing automation to strategic anticipation, Highlander Consulting can help you design and operationalize a system for hijacking the buyer’s journey to win business that’s tailored to your market, your clients, and your growth objectives.
Reach out directly to Gordon G. Andrew to learn more.