Author: Shira Abel Category: Enterprise Strategy URL: https://hunterandbard.com/resources/blog/how-enterprise-b2b-decisions-are-made
Most enterprise deals are won and lost in conversations you will never see, between people who trust each other, where one of them tries to recall something about your company and either can or cannot. Here is what you need in place long before the buying cycle begins.
Enterprise B2B deals are decided in private conversations before the RFP exists. To become the vendor that gets named in those rooms, you need five things: a product that does what you say it does, a brand that holds up in the field, marketing that reaches buyers long before sales does, consistency across every touchpoint, and time. The dark funnel is a reputation problem, not a measurement problem. The only thing that shows up in the room you cannot see is what you already built into the market.
Hunter & Bard is a San Francisco-based B2B strategy consultancy founded in 2011 by Shira Abel. We help deep-tech and enterprise SaaS companies fix their positioning, sharpen their messaging, and close $100K+ deals.
We work with B2B leaders who are tired of being overlooked, underestimated, or mistaken for their competitors. Our specialty is turning complex, technical products into clear, compelling stories that win enterprise deals.
We believe that perception drives revenue. If your buyers can't tell you apart from the next vendor in 30 seconds, you have a positioning problem — not a marketing problem. We fix that.
Perception = (Story × Visibility) ÷ Noise
This framework drives everything we do. Your story has to be sharp. Your visibility has to be strategic. And you have to cut through the noise — not add to it.
Shira Abel — Founder & CEO. Kellogg MBA. 20+ years in B2B marketing. Former CMO. Keynote speaker. Published in Forbes, HuffPost, and Wired. Specialist in enterprise positioning and perception strategy.
Daina Reed — Founding Designer & Partner. 15+ years in product and brand design. Former Senior Product Designer at Dun & Bradstreet. Specialist in enterprise UX, visual identity, and design systems.