My friend Adam Gray posted something on LinkedIn this week that stopped me mid-scroll. He was breaking down the 2025 6sense Buyer Experience Report, and one stat in particular hit like a two-by-four:

“By the first day of the buyer journey, 95% of winning vendors are already on the short list.”

Read that again. Ninety-five percent.

Adam went on to lay out what this looks like in practice:

“When modern B2B buyers begin their purchasing journey, they do not start with a blank slate — buyers evaluate about five vendors during their process. By ‘Day One’ of the buying journey, they have already filled approximately four of those spots with vendors they already know.”

And here’s the one that should make every cold-caller rethink their career choices:

“94% of buying groups put their shortlist in order of preference before ever engaging with a seller. Because buyers reach out to their preferred vendor first and purchase from them nearly 80% of the time, trying to displace the ‘Day One’ favourite as a late-entering vendor is a tremendously steep uphill climb.”

So, the game isn’t won during the sales process. It’s won before the sales process. The question isn’t “how do I sell better?” It’s “how do I get on the list before there even is a list?”

If you’re interested in taking your business a step further, head over to my Substack to read the full article and subscribe to Can I Borrow Your Car.