The single-buyer myth: why B2B deals are really won by buying groups and AI

Shownotes

Most B2B teams know that buying decisions involve multiple people, yet many still sell as if one buyer is enough. In this episode of the OnBase podcast, Paul Gibson is joined by Graham Reed, director of business creation at Ice Blue Sky, to unpack why this disconnect continues to derail deals and how buying groups reflect the real way B2B decisions are made.

Graham shares how AI is accelerating buying group identification, enabling more relevant content, and helping sales and marketing teams engage the right stakeholders at the right time. The discussion also explores the risks of black-box intent data, the challenge of content overload, and why human judgment and alignment between sales and marketing remain essential.

This episode is a practical, experience-led guide for B2B leaders who want higher-quality pipeline, stronger engagement, and fewer late-stage deal surprises.

Best Moments

• 01:43
  Graham shares his background and Ice Blue Sky’s focus on strategy-led B2B marketing.
• 05:33
  How AI helps identify buying groups while still requiring human validation.
• 08:05
  Why different stakeholders need different messaging to cut through content overload.
• 10:42
  The risk of killing deals by disqualifying after speaking to just one buyer.
• 15:25
  Common misunderstandings about buying group marketing and its perceived cost.
• 24:28
  The simplest first step teams should take to map buying groups effectively.
• 32:34
  Why intent signals without context undermine sales confidence.
• 36:22
  Graham shares a leadership book and recommends industry voices to follow.

Key insights from this episode

• B2B deals are decided by buying groups, not individual buyers, and ignoring this reality increases deal risk and late-stage churn. 
• Account-based marketing has always touched multiple roles, but AI now allows teams to do this with greater precision and relevance. 
• AI improves speed and insight, but it does not replace human judgment when validating buying groups and intent signals. 
• Black-box intent tools damage sales confidence when teams cannot explain the “why” behind a signal. 
• Sales and marketing alignment is critical to turning buying group insight into real revenue impact. 
• Content overload makes relevance more important than volume across every stakeholder. 
• Buying group strategies are especially powerful for upsell, cross-sell, and account expansion. 
• The best buying group strategies start with simple mapping and strategy before adding technology.

Quotes

“If you qualify out a deal after speaking to one person, you’re ignoring the views of everyone else involved.”

Resource Recommendations

Books:

• Leading From The Jumpseat by Peter Docker

Shout-outs

• Marta George, Head of EMEA ABM Programmes at Ping Identity
• Barbara Stewart, Buyer & Customer Experience Consultant
• Charlotte Graham-Cumming, CEO at Ice Blue Sky

About the Guest

Graham Reed is the Director of Business Creation at Ice Blue Sky, a specialist strategy-led, account-based marketing and demand generation agency focused on the technology sector. With a background that began in print marketing, Graham transitioned into B2B later in his career and quickly developed a deep passion for the discipline, particularly account-based marketing and buying group strategies. Over the past five years at Ice Blue Sky, he has worked closely with technology and channel-focused organisations to design highly targeted, data-driven marketing programs that drive early-stage sales engagement. Graham’s work is centered on understanding how modern buying groups operate and how relevance, strategy, and emerging technologies like AI can be combined to influence complex B2B buying decisions.

Connect with Graham.