Key Takeaways:
- LinkedIn’s Ty Heath session at B2BMX 2026 was focused on B2B deals stalling because buying groups lack collective confidence, not because a competitor wins; marketers need to solve buyability by reducing hidden friction.
- AI-driven research, larger buying committees, and unseen stakeholders in finance, legal, and procurement make brand authority, proof, and internal alignment more important than ever.
Cross-functional partnerships are the backbone of business success, requiring seamless collaboration between marketing, sales, product, and communications teams. When these departments align, they drive revenue growth and ensure operational harmony.
However, while metrics like brand awareness and demand generation are commonly tracked, a critical factor often goes unnoticed: viability.
This was the focus of LinkedIn’s Ty Heath session at B2BMX 2026, powered by Advertising Week, titled Solving the Buyability Problem: The Hidden Friction Inside B2B Buying. Heath is Global Director, Thought Leadership GTM Strategy at LinkedIn and co-founder of The B2B Institute, LinkedIn’s think tank focused on building famous brands in B2B.
LinkedIn’s Ty Heath On Understanding Viability
Heath stated that viability goes beyond traditional pipeline metrics to uncover hidden factors that stall deals. Marketers often focus on tracking leads but fail to measure the collective confidence buyers need to make decisions.
This shift in perspective can transform marketing strategies and outcomes. “That question is, is it easy to buy from us? And in many cases, that thing, understanding that thing and what’s behind it, is even more important than the products and features themselves,” said Heath.
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Understanding viability means asking the right questions and addressing the unseen barriers that prevent buyers from moving forward. It’s not just about selling a product but ensuring the buying process is frictionless and confidence-inspiring.
What are the New Challenges in B2B Buying Decisions
The dynamics of B2B buying have evolved dramatically— gone are the days when decisions were made by one or two individuals. Today, buying committees are larger and more complex, often involving representatives from diverse departments like sales, HR, product development, and legal. Each member brings unique priorities and incentives, making alignment a significant challenge.
Navigating these committees is akin to orchestrating a high-stakes negotiation where every participant’s job is on the line.”Now today, the average B2B buying group is about 8.2… regardless of the number, it’s not one to two people,” she said.
This complexity demands a new approach to marketing and sales, one that considers the diverse motivations and concerns of all stakeholders involved in the decision-making process.
Impact of AI and Buyer Behavior
Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the B2B buying journey, fundamentally altering how prospects research and evaluate solutions. Buyers now arrive at sales conversations armed with pre-formed shortlists generated by AI tools, making them highly informed but also more cautious.
This shift places a premium on brand authority and credibility, stated Heath. Buyers rely heavily on AI to condense research and validate options, meaning that a brand’s reputation often determines whether it makes it onto a buyer’s shortlist as “94% of buyers are using LLMs in the decision-making process. And what this means is that the world of authority and credibility and confidence is being condensed into the AI tool.”
For marketers, this underscores the importance of building a strong, authoritative presence that resonates with both AI algorithms and human decision-makers.
Introduction to Viability Research
To uncover the root causes of stalled deals, Heath pointed to research from LinkedIn and Bain that revealed that many deals are lost not to competitors but to indecision. Despite months of effort, buying committees often lack the collective confidence to make a final decision. “When it comes to viability, it’s the collective confidence needed for people to arrive at decision-making,” said Heath. “It takes marketing and removes these independent, siloed decisions.”
While marketers often target specific personas, such as IT decision-makers or end-users, another group of stakeholders wields significant influence over purchasing decisions: hidden buyers— often in finance, legal, or procurement— who can make or break a deal.
If hidden buyers are unfamiliar with your brand, the likelihood of approval diminishes significantly, as Heath noted “81% of the brand knew everyone at the start. In that scenario, you’re more likely to get the deal right, versus when only 4% of the recommending functions knew the brand.”
Expanding brand awareness to include these hidden stakeholders is crucial for ensuring a smooth buying process.
How to Sell Buyability and Emotional Decision-Making
B2B purchasing decisions may appear driven by data and ROI calculations, but they are deeply influenced by emotion, according to Heath. Buyers tie their professional reputation to the success of their decisions, making fear of failure a significant factor.
Marketers must address these emotional concerns by selling buyability—creating a sense of security and confidence in the decision-making process. By focusing on emotional reassurance, marketers can build trust and mitigate the fear of making a wrong decision.
“Can I defend my decision versus confident that it would do the job?” asked Heath. “I felt that we could manage bumps in the road so emotional, we have to think about the emotional jobs to be done in the decision-making process.”
Proving Buyability and Addressing Alignment Friction
Buyers seek proof that others in similar roles and industries have successfully made the same decision. Generic testimonials and case studies are insufficient; buyers need specific, relatable examples that resonate with their unique context.
Creating this proof requires addressing alignment friction by tailoring materials to the diverse needs of all stakeholders. Ty Heath emphasized, “People want to hear from people who are in a similar space as them. So as we think about case studies and testimonials, this is where you can go to work at talking to current customers.”
She stressed that internal champions play a critical role in advancing deals, but they often face significant challenges in navigating organizational politics. Without the right support, even the most enthusiastic champion can struggle to gain approval.
Marketers must equip champions with portable, digestible content that helps them build alliances and address objections. Heath advised that “the closer we get to the decision, we need more peer validation, more content, even thought leadership, authority, credibility, driving content to open the mind and the eyes of the people that are making a decision alongside their champion.”
Conclusion and Next Steps
To drive business outcomes, marketers must address the five frictions that impact viability:
- Risk
- Visibility
- Proof
- Alignment
- Political friction
By diagnosing and addressing these areas, they can transform marketing from a lead-generation function into a true driver of business success.
“How do we move from reaching one champion to actually reaching everyone in the buyer group? How do we move from having just a generic group to proof that people can relate to that feels like them? How do we move from an awareness campaign to networks of confidence?” asked Heath
“By embracing this approach, marketers can eliminate hidden frictions and create a seamless, confidence-inspiring buying experience.”
