The Consideration Set
Buyers put you on the shortlist based on who they've heard about, not who paid to reach them.
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The mechanism
The chart is a row of bars showing what business software buyers name as the top reason a vendor makes their list. Word of mouth towers at 42 percent, with brand, reviews, and AI recommendations well behind. Paid ads and cold outreach sit at the bottom at 2 percent each - about twenty-one times weaker than word of mouth. You can pay for attention, but you earn your way onto the shortlist.
Part of Publishing. Credibility and demand before the sales conversation.