Group purchasing organizations: The ultimate 2026 guide

Her insights on change management and overcoming AI resistance offer a playbook for healthcare innovators. When reps don’t understand the full decision-making landscape, forecasts become guesswork rather than reliable predictions. Early identification and proactive engagement are essential to managing their concerns. The mistake most sellers make is ignoring blockers until they surface late in the deal cycle. Blockers can derail deals in final stages if not identified and engaged early in the sales process.

I’ve encountered prospects who already had a shortlist of vendors, conducted deep technical research and even tested competitor solutions before our first conversation. B2B technology purchases often involve 6 to 10 stakeholders, ranging from IT and finance to operations and executive leadership. It’s no longer just about having the best product; it’s about delivering the best buying journey. They are more informed, take a digital-first approach and expect highly tailored, frictionless buying experiences.

Focusing only on individual leads provides limited insights into what is happening during the buying process. Simply put, an account-based lens isn’t designed to support multiple selling opportunities at different lifecycle stages. Treating everyone at that account as a “customer” risks alienating potential members of prospect buying committees with wrong nurture tracks, disjointed messaging, etc.

Map the account to identify all stakeholders

What are these lines and how can you leverage this understanding to help your buyers make a purchasing decision? You're selling to a group of decision-makers who have different levels of influence and different positions in the company. But as organizations grow and deals span multiple departments, understanding those relationships takes data and visibility. It also makes it hard to recognize when one department’s support could speed up another’s decision, or when separate deals are part of a larger enterprise opportunity. These best practices break down how to identify influence, align stakeholders, and maintain momentum at every stage of the buying process.

Understanding the buying committee

While MQLs and MQAs have helped identify potential opportunities and detect in-market purchasing groups, QBGs enhance this process. For instance, factors like age, education, nature, employment tenure, and position within the company all play a role in influencing the buying process. As a result, decision-makers must present a compelling reason why they believe a new purchase will help the company achieve specific goals or milestones.

AI makes it finally possible to operationalize buying groups

• So consider a scenario where a typical buying committee has six members, and three members engage with your website or events, becoming leads.
• They are focused on features, functionality, and how your solution will impact their workflow.
• Connect any ERP, PMS, and other internal or third-party systems to digitize create unique experience for buyers and sellers.
• By leveraging AI and data analytics, you can create tailored experiences that resonate with each stakeholder’s specific concerns.
• When They Are Involved Influencers can hold sway early on in a buying process, providing information that triggers the desire to break from the status quo or explore competitive solutions.

The GPO’s main focus is to get members the most products but cost less without compromising the B2B purchasing group quality. Aside from huge discounts, GPOs can give you and your company several advantages. By offering access to over 20,000 supplier contracts, Champs helps organizations realize substantial savings, with potential discounts ranging from 8% to 75%. By utilizing data-driven insights and personalized reporting, Procure Analytics assists its members in achieving better pricing and making informed purchasing decisions.

Madison Logic/Harris Poll: Half of Marketers Are Guessing on What Drives Purchasing Decisions Today

Engaging end-users early helps identify potential challenges and improves adoption across the organization. Marketing and sales teams can benefit greatly from understanding these groups, as they can help them access the right people faster and secure more strategic wins. Aubrey Donnelly brings nearly a decade of experience supporting executives and shaping company culture in high-growth SaaS environments. Most sellers ignore blockers until they derail a deal in its final stages. That statistic alone should reshape how every revenue team approaches pipeline management. Traditional B2B sales focused on individual leads and marketing-qualified contacts.