In manufacturing SMEs, we often see very different levels of maturity in marketing and sales. Some companies are still stuck in the "operational hamster wheel" - they rely on one or two trade fairs a year, for example, and conduct marketing without a clear strategy. Others, on the other hand, have already seamlessly integrated marketing and sales, use data from CRM systems intelligently and dominate their niche as hidden champions. This article presents four typical marketing maturity levels for SMEs (especially manufacturing companies). For each stage, we highlight the characteristics and bottlenecks and show which measures will help them take the next development step.
Maturity level 1:
Operational hamster wheel
(reactive & without clear positioning)
In the first maturity level, there is a lack of strategic orientation in marketing. Companies usually act purely operationally and reactively here. Marketing and sales are caught in a "hamster wheel" of one-off actions without an overarching guideline.
Typical characteristics in this phase:
Trade fairs as the main sales channel
The sales department attends trade fairs once or twice a year, often as the most important (or only) marketing measure. Trade fairs are still a central component of customer acquisition for many SMEs. However, a single channel is no longer enough to achieve sufficient visibility - B2B decision-makers now use an average of 7.3 sources of information before contacting a supplier [1].
The sales department attends trade fairs once or twice a year, often as the most important (or only) marketing measure. Trade fairs are still a central component of customer acquisition for many SMEs. However, a single channel is no longer enough to achieve sufficient visibility - B2B decision-makers now use an average of 7.3 sources of information before contacting a supplier [1].
"Vendor's tray" instead of specialization
The company offers a broad portfolio ("We do everything that has to do with X") - but without a clear focus or unique selling point. Pricing is often classically cost-based (production costs plus a margin of e.g. 30%). This undifferentiated offer makes the company interchangeable. Attention is rarely gained because nothing special is communicated.
The company offers a broad portfolio ("We do everything that has to do with X") - but without a clear focus or unique selling point. Pricing is often classically cost-based (production costs plus a margin of e.g. 30%). This undifferentiated offer makes the company interchangeable. Attention is rarely gained because nothing special is communicated.
Basic website without a strategy
Although there is a website, it is only maintained sporadically and serves more as an "online brochure". There is a lack of targeted content to attract prospective customers digitally. This is critical, as the first impression of potential customers today is almost always made online - via the website, content or reviews. Modern B2B buyers prefer to inform themselves, 50% of them would prefer to buy without contacting sales[2]. Without meaningful content and a digital presence, you are virtually invisible to these self-informers.
Although there is a website, it is only maintained sporadically and serves more as an "online brochure". There is a lack of targeted content to attract prospective customers digitally. This is critical, as the first impression of potential customers today is almost always made online - via the website, content or reviews. Modern B2B buyers prefer to inform themselves, 50% of them would prefer to buy without contacting sales[2]. Without meaningful content and a digital presence, you are virtually invisible to these self-informers.
Randomly driven sales
Customers are mainly acquired through personal contacts, telephone inquiries or trade fair contacts. Sales staff often have no technical background at this stage - product knowledge and genuine advice take a back seat. Standard products are often sold via resellers or distributors. What exactly the customer does with the product often remains unknown, which means that no application knowledge is built up. As a result, the offering degenerates into a commodity(interchangeable part) and competition is based almost exclusively on price (cost leadership).
Customers are mainly acquired through personal contacts, telephone inquiries or trade fair contacts. Sales staff often have no technical background at this stage - product knowledge and genuine advice take a back seat. Standard products are often sold via resellers or distributors. What exactly the customer does with the product often remains unknown, which means that no application knowledge is built up. As a result, the offering degenerates into a commodity(interchangeable part) and competition is based almost exclusively on price (cost leadership).
Bottleneck: Strategy & positioning
In maturity level 1, a strategy and positioning are missing above all. Without this groundwork, your marketing cannot do a good job!
A clear USP (Unique Selling Proposition) has not been worked out, nor have target groups and their needs been defined. Without differentiation, the company falls into a vicious circle: it is "nothing special" and therefore interchangeable at will. Customers switch to competitors as soon as they offer something cheaper or address the problem more specifically.
This situation leads to a downward spiral with price pressure and margin erosion: in order to keep orders at all, prices are tightened, which further reduces margins. Every straw and every deal has to be chased to ensure survival.
The symptoms are not only reflected in the return on sales, but also in problems such as poor availability, unreliable delivery performance, high staff turnover and dissatisfied customers - all consequences of a lack of focus.
The way out is specialization!
Get off the hamster wheel! The focus in this phase must be on strategy development and positioning. In other words, not marketing and sales, but classic corporate strategy.
The company should use an "easy" way out: Specialization. In concrete terms, this means working out what the company is currently really good at - there are often core competencies or hidden champion skills that have so far gone unnoticed.
These strengths need to be brought to the fore and communicated crystal clear. A focused positioning ("We are the experts for ___ in ___") has many advantages: The target group becomes more specific and therefore more approachable, the offering stands out from the competition, and marketing and sales are given a clear compass for all activities.
After many decades, it is rarely possible to free oneself from this situation under one's own steam. This is why most companies seek external moderation to work out their own strengths. These are often not recognized or undervalued within the company due to operational blindness.
As an engineer, I understand your production, your business and your customers' applications.
But I also bring a marketing and business perspective to the table. Together we will find and communicate your unique selling proposition.
Jonas Reuter
Managing Director, Partner
More profit through positioning?
The operational hamster wheel also means maximum capacity utilization in all departments in order to maintain a constant EBIT profit margin of around the usual 15%. Without specialization, it is almost impossible to achieve higher profit ratios (without building up an investment backlog). However, this further reinforces the hamster wheel; once you have grown, you cannot afford to accept fewer orders, which you then usually have to win back through price, which lowers the ratio again.
If it is clearly communicated which problem you solve for whom better than all the others, the willingness to pay also increases. Accordingly, the price strategy should also be reconsidered with a new positioning. Successful SMEs specialize in what they do well, but do little of it at high prices. Instead of calculating production costs plus margin across the board, these SMEs rely on value-based pricing. The price is based on the perceived value for the customer, not just the costs. Your customers pay for the added value, not just for the material.
Your employees will also be happy, you will have time to solve the tasks with better quality and to look after your customers properly. This closes the circle to the symptoms of poor availability, delivery reliability and high fluctuation. With a high-price strategy, you need fewer staff or can retain/recruit skilled workers with higher salaries.
Germany is known for its numerous medium-sized global market leaders. High prices are the absolute industry standard for these companies. Without a unique selling proposition, their only option is cost leadership.
Your thoughts at this point?
- We are chosen by price, with more budget you go to the market leader...
- Our customers won't pay more, purchasing dictates our prices...
- We are in a complex distribution chain, the (wholesale) trade does not play along...
- We have no special know-how because we are suppliers...
- We don't have the right people for that...
If that were really the case, we wouldn't be able to help you either. We hear these sentences often - actually every single time. We would be happy to give you some telephone numbers of managing directors who started at the same point.
Just ask!
Maturity level 2:
Focus & inbound marketing (first systematic lead generation)
In the second maturity level, the company has already better recognized its strengths and unique selling points. It now focuses on what it is really good at and offers excellent solutions in this area - often customized for customers.
The positioning is clearer: the company has worked out what differentiates it from the competition, which products/services are offered and who (target segments) it is aimed at.
Typically, higher prices were also implemented here because the value for the customer is better communicated. The result: the company makes less, but with higher margins and can provide satisfactory service to its existing customers.
Characteristics of this phase are
Clear positioning and improved offering
In contrast to the vendor's tray stage, the added value of the products and services has now been defined and communicated. The company knows why customers should choose its products and services (e.g. higher precision, longer service life, special service, etc.). This focus leads to less interchangeability and enables value-oriented pricing - customers are prepared to pay more for clearly identified added value.
In contrast to the vendor's tray stage, the added value of the products and services has now been defined and communicated. The company knows why customers should choose its products and services (e.g. higher precision, longer service life, special service, etc.). This focus leads to less interchangeability and enables value-oriented pricing - customers are prepared to pay more for clearly identified added value.
Inbound orientation (reactive lead source)
Although the offer has been sharpened, new customers in this phase often continue to come from the customer's own initiative - for example through telephone inquiries, emails or recommendations from existing customers. The company already enjoys a good reputation in its niche, so prospective customers knock on the door of their own accord(inbound). However, there is a lack of active marketing channels to systematically generate leads beyond this. Planned campaigns or continuous content marketing are usually not (yet) established.
Although the offer has been sharpened, new customers in this phase often continue to come from the customer's own initiative - for example through telephone inquiries, emails or recommendations from existing customers. The company already enjoys a good reputation in its niche, so prospective customers knock on the door of their own accord(inbound). However, there is a lack of active marketing channels to systematically generate leads beyond this. Planned campaigns or continuous content marketing are usually not (yet) established.
Sales engineers as consultants (initial contact)
As the customer's applications are now better understood, sales employees - ideally with a technical understanding - can provide advice over the phone or by email. They know the typical applications of the products and can outline possible solutions. Nevertheless, sales remains primarily reactive: it processes inquiries that come in rather than proactively approaching new customers.
As the customer's applications are now better understood, sales employees - ideally with a technical understanding - can provide advice over the phone or by email. They know the typical applications of the products and can outline possible solutions. Nevertheless, sales remains primarily reactive: it processes inquiries that come in rather than proactively approaching new customers.
Lack of diversification of acquisition channels
A major bottleneck in maturity level 2 is lead generation. Although the company has a good offer and satisfied customers, it is not yet exploiting the market because no active marketing channels are being used. The company is often heavily dependent on the economy or chance hits - if the economy is doing well or word of a success gets around, inquiries will come in; in bad times, however, the pipeline stagnates due to a lack of own activities. Sales is primarily concerned with qualifying and supporting existing leads/customers, but not with generating new leads. There is a lack of clear processes and responsibilities.
A major bottleneck in maturity level 2 is lead generation. Although the company has a good offer and satisfied customers, it is not yet exploiting the market because no active marketing channels are being used. The company is often heavily dependent on the economy or chance hits - if the economy is doing well or word of a success gets around, inquiries will come in; in bad times, however, the pipeline stagnates due to a lack of own activities. Sales is primarily concerned with qualifying and supporting existing leads/customers, but not with generating new leads. There is a lack of clear processes and responsibilities.
Bottleneck: Lead generation & channel selection
The central challenge in phase 2 is to constantly acquire new contacts and projects without relying solely on chance or external factors. In short: lead generation and choosing the right marketing channels.
Companies at this stage have understood what they offer and why it is valuable, but how to systematically reach enough potential customers is still unclear.
There is a risk of remaining in a comfort zone ("Customers already know us, new ones come by word of mouth"). As a result, growth potential remains untapped. The sales process is also often not formalized: There is no coordinated approach between marketing and sales to accompany a prospective customer from initial contact to closing the deal.
If marketing is carried out at all, it is selective - e.g. a newsletter or a product brochure - but without an overall strategy. The dependence on a few random contacts makes the business susceptible to crises.
From passivity to active market approach
Specifically, an inbound marketing strategy should now be set up and supplemented with initial outbound elements. Your aim is to generate a constant flow of qualified leads instead of waiting for the next call.
Studies show that content-based inbound strategies are extremely effective here. Today's B2B decision-makers expect valuable information before they contact a supplier - 91% prefer suppliers who provide high-quality content without trying to sell something immediately [3]. However, only 29% of SMEs have so far managed to produce relevant content on a regular basis[4].
There is an opportunity here: those who generously share their expert knowledge and publish it in the form of specialist articles, white papers, webinars or videos, for example, position themselves as thought leaders and attract interested parties. The most successful B2B companies today create suitable content for every phase of the customer journey - from the initial problem identification to the purchase decision
Definition of the sales process
In addition to content and inbound, the sales process should also be further developed. Now is the time to align marketing and sales more closely: Define together what a qualified lead is, when sales should take over and how follow-up actions should be carried out.
A suitable step may be to introduce a CRM system (if not already in place) or to use it more intensively in order to record and track contacts in a structured manner.
It can also be useful to test initial outbound measures in a targeted manner - for example account-based marketing (targeted approach of defined desired customers).
It is important to think about outbound and inbound in an interlinked way: Content attracts prospective customers and sales can proactively address those who fit the profile well. Step by step, the "random" inbound process becomes a plannable acquisition process. Maturity level 2 thus creates the basis for entering into scaling sales - which leads us to level 3.
Maturity level 3:
Inbound + Key Accounts
(scaled sales & data usage)
In the third maturity level, SMEs have made the leap to a scalable marketing and sales model. They now regularly generate leads, both via inbound channels (website, online marketing, events, etc.) and through targeted outbound activities.
The focus is also shifting to existing customer management: key customers are looked after by key account managers in order to fully exploit potential. The company has often already established itself as the "world market leader" or one of the top providers in its niche. Customers regard the provider as a partner at eye level.
Some characteristics of this phase:
Proactive key account management
Important existing customers are systematically nurtured. The customer relationship is developed into a partnership - for example, regular customers are proactively offered product improvements or technical innovations before they ask for them. The company acts as a "system solver" and thinks along with the customer in order to improve their processes. This consultative approach creates a high level of trust; customers are fans and pay prices based on the value of the solution (no longer strictly according to classic cost accounting).
Important existing customers are systematically nurtured. The customer relationship is developed into a partnership - for example, regular customers are proactively offered product improvements or technical innovations before they ask for them. The company acts as a "system solver" and thinks along with the customer in order to improve their processes. This consultative approach creates a high level of trust; customers are fans and pay prices based on the value of the solution (no longer strictly according to classic cost accounting).
High lead numbers - but process problems
The marketing machine is now running so well that sometimes hundreds or even thousands of leads are generated per year via the website, trade fairs and campaigns. The conversion rates of the campaigns are decent - there is actually no shortage of interested parties. However, there is a new problem: sales and marketing are not yet fully integrated, which leads to friction losses. For example, many leads are not consistently followed up. Sales concentrates on the "low-hanging fruit" - i.e. obvious deals that can be closed quickly - and leaves other leads lying around. This can be due to overload or unclear responsibilities. This is where it pays off if a clean lead-nurturing process was not established in earlier phases. The data quality in the CRM is also often inadequate: contacts are recorded but not properly maintained or qualified. The CRM system degenerates into a ticket or address management tool instead of serving as a strategic source of information.
The marketing machine is now running so well that sometimes hundreds or even thousands of leads are generated per year via the website, trade fairs and campaigns. The conversion rates of the campaigns are decent - there is actually no shortage of interested parties. However, there is a new problem: sales and marketing are not yet fully integrated, which leads to friction losses. For example, many leads are not consistently followed up. Sales concentrates on the "low-hanging fruit" - i.e. obvious deals that can be closed quickly - and leaves other leads lying around. This can be due to overload or unclear responsibilities. This is where it pays off if a clean lead-nurturing process was not established in earlier phases. The data quality in the CRM is also often inadequate: contacts are recorded but not properly maintained or qualified. The CRM system degenerates into a ticket or address management tool instead of serving as a strategic source of information.
Marketing & sales as a team - in the early stages
In this phase, companies realize that marketing and sales must work hand in hand in order to exploit the potential of the many leads. The first signs of dovetailing are there: e.g. regular meetings between marketing and sales, agreements on campaigns or joint definition of lead status (MQL, SQL etc.). Nevertheless, there is often a gap at the interface - the famous "marketing/sales gap". Marketing hands over leads, but has little insight into what happens to them; sales may complain that the leads are not pre-qualified well enough. This mutual lack of understanding now needs to be resolved.
In this phase, companies realize that marketing and sales must work hand in hand in order to exploit the potential of the many leads. The first signs of dovetailing are there: e.g. regular meetings between marketing and sales, agreements on campaigns or joint definition of lead status (MQL, SQL etc.). Nevertheless, there is often a gap at the interface - the famous "marketing/sales gap". Marketing hands over leads, but has little insight into what happens to them; sales may complain that the leads are not pre-qualified well enough. This mutual lack of understanding now needs to be resolved.
Bottleneck: Data & processes
The sheer volume of interested parties requires efficient filtering and prioritization. Many SMEs still find this difficult - they still rely heavily on gut feeling rather than data when making decisions. According to a study, 69% of SMEs make their marketing and sales decisions primarily intuitively, while only 31% base their decisions primarily on data[5].
This "data gap" leads to tangible disadvantages: Budgets may flow into the wrong channels, sales resources are not used optimally and high-quality leads go to waste.
Yet the existing contacts would have much more potential if they were systematically analyzed and processed. Another obstacle is often the technological implementation: CRM and marketing automation systems may have been introduced, but have not been consistently brought to life or there are no clear processes for using them.
The result: a lack of transparency - no one has a complete overview of which lead is where, which campaign was successful or how much a particular channel really contributes to sales. The organization is reaching the limits of what can be achieved with manual management.
Merging marketing & sales into one data-driven unit
Maturity level 3 involves projects that improve data quality, automate processes and steer the flood of leads in an orderly fashion. Specifically, a lead scoring model should be introduced to identify the most promising prospects.
Leading medium-sized companies are leading the way: They use predictive analytics and data-based lead prioritization to filter out sales opportunities with the highest probability of closing. Sales teams can then focus their energy on these "hot" leads instead of treating them all the same (or not at all).
In addition to lead scoring, work should also be done on CRM maintenance. A data project can make sense: Clean up duplicates, define mandatory fields, improve integrations (e.g. with website forms, newsletter tools). Training for sales and marketing can help to make the importance of clean data entry clear. It is often worth introducing joint KPIs for marketing and sales - such as the lead conversion rate or the proportion of qualified leads processed by sales. Such KPIs create a common target image and promote cross-departmental collaboration.
Another building block is marketing automation: leads can be pre-qualified to a certain extent using automated workflows (e.g. through content offers that signal further interest or by scoring according to interactions). This ensures that truly pre-qualified inquiries are sent to sales. This takes the pressure off sales and ensures that no potential customer is "lost" simply because they are not immediately ready to buy. This is how the use of data pays off: Companies with data-driven decision-making processes achieve greater marketing efficiency and reduce their customer acquisition costs. They also significantly shorten their sales cycles - a clear competitive advantage.
Maturity level 4:
Fully integrated marketing & sales
(data-driven & customer-oriented)
The fourth maturity level represents the ideal image of highly developed marketing in SMEs. Only a few companies reach this level completely - but it serves as a guide for the future. In this phase, marketing and sales work so closely together that the boundaries are almost blurred.
The company has excellent data along the entire customer journey and can allocate every marketing euro to its contribution to sales success.
Typical characteristics and changes in maturity level 4 are
Marketing & Sales become "Revenue Operations"
Instead of two separate departments, we now think in terms of a single process from the initial contact to the conclusion of the customer contract (and beyond). Salespeople act more like advisors and consultants, helping customers to find the best solution rather than just selling products. They can do this because the customers are already pre-informed and convinced by the marketing - the sales department joins in as a problem solver, no longer as a pure information broker.
Instead of two separate departments, we now think in terms of a single process from the initial contact to the conclusion of the customer contract (and beyond). Salespeople act more like advisors and consultants, helping customers to find the best solution rather than just selling products. They can do this because the customers are already pre-informed and convinced by the marketing - the sales department joins in as a problem solver, no longer as a pure information broker.
Complete data transparency
All customer touchpoints - whether website, email, social media, trade fair or personal conversation - are recorded and analyzed. Multi-touch attribution is established, i.e. you know which contacts and content actually influence purchasing decisions. This enables an extremely targeted allocation of resources: marketing budgets flow into the most efficient channels, as it is known what really works. (Companies with precise attribution models increase their marketing effectiveness by around 27%, as a benchmark study shows[6]) Lead scoring is also finely tuned and AI-supported, so that sales always works on the most important deals. The data quality in CRM is high, dashboards provide real-time insights into the pipeline, conversion rates per channel, customer lifetime value, etc.
All customer touchpoints - whether website, email, social media, trade fair or personal conversation - are recorded and analyzed. Multi-touch attribution is established, i.e. you know which contacts and content actually influence purchasing decisions. This enables an extremely targeted allocation of resources: marketing budgets flow into the most efficient channels, as it is known what really works. (Companies with precise attribution models increase their marketing effectiveness by around 27%, as a benchmark study shows[6]) Lead scoring is also finely tuned and AI-supported, so that sales always works on the most important deals. The data quality in CRM is high, dashboards provide real-time insights into the pipeline, conversion rates per channel, customer lifetime value, etc.
Continuous customer retention and development
As new customer acquisition works almost on demand, the focus of marketing is shifting strongly to existing customer care and customer experience. Marketing campaigns are aimed at inspiring existing customers again and again - e.g. through exclusive webinars, user groups, loyalty programs or digital customer portals. Investments are made in servitization and after-sales offers to provide additional added value (e.g. maintenance contracts, upgrades, training). Marketing works closely with product development and service to identify new needs early on and launch appropriate solutions. The line between product and marketing is blurred here: A good product experience (e.g. an intuitive app or a platform for customers) becomes a marketing tool because it strengthens customer loyalty.
As new customer acquisition works almost on demand, the focus of marketing is shifting strongly to existing customer care and customer experience. Marketing campaigns are aimed at inspiring existing customers again and again - e.g. through exclusive webinars, user groups, loyalty programs or digital customer portals. Investments are made in servitization and after-sales offers to provide additional added value (e.g. maintenance contracts, upgrades, training). Marketing works closely with product development and service to identify new needs early on and launch appropriate solutions. The line between product and marketing is blurred here: A good product experience (e.g. an intuitive app or a platform for customers) becomes a marketing tool because it strengthens customer loyalty.
Innovation driver in the business model
At the highest level of maturity, marketing also plays a key role in introducing new business models. Trends such as product-as-a-service, usage-based billing or platform economy are identified by marketing and implemented together with other departments. Marketing acts as a kind of radar for market opportunities and as a translator between customers and technology. This puts the company in a position to further expand its niche or open up new niches - it often already acts as a quasi-monopolist in its specialization because no competitor takes a similarly customer-centric and efficient approach.
At the highest level of maturity, marketing also plays a key role in introducing new business models. Trends such as product-as-a-service, usage-based billing or platform economy are identified by marketing and implemented together with other departments. Marketing acts as a kind of radar for market opportunities and as a translator between customers and technology. This puts the company in a position to further expand its niche or open up new niches - it often already acts as a quasi-monopolist in its specialization because no competitor takes a similarly customer-centric and efficient approach.
Bottleneck no longer in marketing or sales
Interestingly, the bottleneck in maturity level 4 is no longer in marketing or sales itself - everything is interlinked here.
Instead, the limits to growth shift to other areas: For example, product development or production can become a bottleneck if demand increases faster than the ability to deliver.
Or the question arises of how to find enough skilled workers to cope with growth. In other words, once a medium-sized company has reached this level of marketing maturity, further success depends less on new business and more on whether the entire company (processes, personnel, capacities) can keep pace with market success.
Here, too, marketing provides support in a broader sense - for example through employer branding (to attract employees) or through automated processes that make growth scalable.
Optimizing and sustainably securing market leadership
The fourth maturity level is primarily about optimization and sustainably securing market leadership. This means continuously fine-tuning established systems, using new technologies (e.g. AI for even better personalization - forward-looking SMEs are already using predictive analytics to dynamically adapt content to interests and journey phases) and constantly expanding customer loyalty.
Another focus is innovation in the offering - marketing should work closely with management and development to develop digital business models (such as subscription models, digital platforms) that complement the existing business portfolio.
In this phase, it is also worth turning the experience advantage outwards: Through thought leadership in the industry (e.g. lectures, studies, guest contributions), the company can underpin its status. This keeps you top-of-mind as the industry evolves.
The end goal is achieved when marketing and sales are so strategically positioned that they are practically self-scaling - every additional input (lead) is efficiently converted into output (turnover/customer value) until other resources are exhausted.
Marketing has become a strategic success factor in B2B
These additions to our portfolio reinforce our central message: we are MORGEN, the consultancy for SMEs from morgen.
This means that we pick you up where you are today - and accompany you step by step towards the future. Every SME can find itself in one of the maturity levels described.
Our content and consulting services are designed to provide the right impetus for each stage. Whether you are looking for a strategy at the very beginning, want to scale your sales in the middle or are an established player planning the next leap - we understand your challenges (after all, we come from your environment ourselves) and have tried-and-tested solutions at the ready.
In conclusion, it can be said that Marketing has become a strategic success factor in B2B. If you want to grow today, you need to share your expertise and have your processes under control before the competition pulls away. Many SMEs still have some catching up to do here - but there are also huge opportunities. By using our marketing maturity model, we can develop a roadmap together with our clients: From day-to-day operations to a marketing-driven growth engine. The investment in strategy, positioning and data-driven marketing pays off - in the form of more visibility, higher demand and ultimately more profitable growth. We look forward to accompanying you on this journey - with the right content at the right time and the right advice for your next step.
Sources
[1] Gartner, Inc (2025). B2B Buying Process Survey 2025. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/en/sales/insights/b2b-buying-journey on 23.06.2025.
[2] MarketingProfs. (2022). The Rise of the Self-Service B2B Buyer. Retrieved from https://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2022/46696/the-rise-of-the-self-service-b2b-buyer on 23.06.2025.
[3] LinkedIn Corporation. (2025). LinkedIn B2B Decision Maker Study 2025. Retrieved from https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/marketing-research on 23.06.2025.
[4] Content Marketing Institute. (2025). B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2025. Retrieved from https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/b2b-research/b2b-content-marketing-trends-research on 23.06.2025.
[5] Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim. (2025). Data-based decision making in SMEs 2025. Retrieved from https://www.zew.de/datenbasierte-entscheidungsfindung-mittelstand-2025.pdf on 23.06.2025.
[6] Marketing Attribution Institute. (2025). B2B Marketing Attribution Benchmark Study 2025. Retrieved from https://www.marketingattributioninstitute.org/b2b-marketing-attribution-benchmark-2025 on 23.06.2025.