Right Here, Right Now

Might be too late.

Ian Truscott
July 14, 2025

Welcome to The Beat by Rockstar CMO. I’m Ian Truscott, a CMO and trusted advisor, and in this newsletter, I’d like to share a mix of marketing street knowledge that I hope will help unlock the rockstar marketer in you.

Hello!

If you're a regular reader, I apologize for skipping a week. I was on vacation last week and limited my online time.

And time is the topic this week.

It seems that the trusted adage in B2B marketing that we need to get our message to the right audience on the right channel at the right time for them to buy seems to be changing.

Yes, the first two hold true - right audience and right channel - but it seems that if you are reaching them when they are ready to buy, you are already too late.

On the podcast, we are often quoting 6Sense research on this (as it seems is every B2B marketer in my feed) that points to the fact that by the time a prospect contacts a vendor, they are a significant way down the process of buying research and will already have a shortlist.

Now I love the content marketing value of the research that 6Sense does, but they are a vendor with a position on this stuff, as they want to drive us toward understanding intent data (with their product), so maybe a little biased.

So, it was interesting when I saw a post on LinkedIn today from a Forrester analyst, sharing an article on Digital Commerce 360 that quotes similar research that they at Forrester are doing:

Forrester finds that 92% of buyers start with at least one vendor in mind, and 41% already have a single preferred vendor selected before formal evaluation begins.

It calls these folks “decisive buyers”. Buyers who have done the research and have a clear view of the market and who can solve their problem, and as the article further quotes from Forrester, this is a challenge for short-term demand generation strategies.

“Short-term lead generation alone cannot move the needle with decisive buyers; vendors must focus on becoming the category leader in buyers’ minds before the RFP ever lands.”

Ummm…. is that…

…whisper it..

Investment in the brand and our story?

We need to build preference among the 95% of potential buyers who are not yet in-market.

Yep, the long and the short of it - creating awareness and trust in us before they feel the need so intently that they will overcome the friction to buy.

We have to work in that dark place above the funnel, outside of the comfort zone of what’s measurable in our marketing automation systems.

Which brings me to the song that gives this email its subject line - definitely something that would get anyone’s Monday Marketing Mojo working - Right Here, Right Now by Fatboy Slim, as I think the “right now” has changed.

I hope you found this useful - please let me know what you think and hit reply - or maybe share this with your network.

Cheers!

Ian

—

Ian Truscott | Managing Partner | Velocity B

This week’s street knowledge

What caught my eye on the topic and a bit more from me…

Forrester: B2B buyers choose vendors before the buying process begins

Forrester Research finds that 92% of B2B buyers start their shopping process with at least one vendor in mind.

www.digitalcommerce360.com/2025/07/07/forrester-b2b-buyers-choose-vendors-before-the-buying-process-begins

B2B Buyer Experience Report | 6sense

Yes, it’s from 2024, (gasp!) - but so much good stuff here on the B2B buyers journey.

6sense.com/science-of-b2b/2024-buyer-experience-report

How Content Audits Help Brand Reputation in AI Search | Robert Rose

Content audits aren't just housekeeping anymore. They’re a strategic defense strategy against algorithms mining your digital past in a way that (mis)shapes current perceptions. Here’s how to protect your brand narrative.

contentmarketinginstitute.com/content-operations/old-content-new-risk-ai