In this episode of the Lessons for Tomorrow podcast, Steven LaGow discusses the evolving landscape of Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) with Keval Mehta and AJ Genzler from Liferay. As DXPs continue to mature, their definition expands beyond just website applications to include ecommerce, portal experiences, and AI. The conversation highlights the changing dynamics in today’s sales and marketing, with a focus on how businesses must adapt to meet buyers' shifting expectations. As the momentum between leading brands and DXP solutions grows, the goal is to understand buyer needs and create tailored digital experiences that align with those demands within a high performing digital presence. The experts also take a focused look at B2B brand considerations and winning in the DXP era.
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The Changing Perception of Content and Marketing: What’s Different Now?
The perception of content and marketing has evolved significantly in recent years, especially with the rise of AI and hyper-personalization. According to AJ Genzler from Liferay, understanding your audience and tailoring content to their specific pain points is more critical than ever. With AI tools at marketers' disposal, creating content that resonates on a personal level is key. The best marketers now combine data science and creativity to produce meaningful, engaging stories that don't feel sales-driven. Storytelling, testimonials, and a focus on real-world impact are essential to building trust and driving authentic engagement.
Turning Interest into a Tailored Conversation: Making the Sales Approach More Personal
To transform a prospect’s initial interest into a personalized sales conversation, it’s crucial to understand their business and motivations. Keval Mehta from Liferay emphasizes the importance of researching the customer's business model and needs. By adopting a solution-based approach and focusing on the end solution, sales teams can tailor conversations to specific use cases, whether it’s a portal, intranet, or public-facing site. Understanding the various personas involved and their unique pain points helps in shaping the conversation to avoid sounding too sales-driven, ultimately aligning the product with the prospect's objectives and needs.
Personal Challenges vs. Organizational Goals: What Are Buyers Really Focused On?
Buyers often balance personal motivations with organizational goals when seeking solutions. While the broader company initiative is crucial, personal drivers—such as career advancement or team recognition—can strongly influence decisions. Keval Mehta highlights the importance of understanding these personal motivations, as they complement the larger organizational objectives. By addressing both the company’s needs and the individual’s personal goals, sales teams can create more tailored solutions, increasing the likelihood that the buyer sees the offering as the right fit. Asking "What does this solution mean to you personally?" helps ensure that both aspects are considered.
The Knowledgeable Buyer: Are Prospects More Informed Than Ever Before?
Buyers today are more informed than ever before, having done extensive research before reaching out to vendors. The average number of touchpoints has increased from 5-9 to 11-17, as prospects digest content and compare multiple providers. This information overload can delay decision-making, as buyers struggle to process and absorb all the data. AJ emphasizes that, while buyers are more knowledgeable, it also takes longer for them to trust a vendor. With so much content available, it can be difficult to stand out and build that trust, leading to a longer sales cycle.
Leveraging Engagement Data: How Can Marketing Teams Improve the Buyer’s Journey?
Marketing teams can leverage engagement data to refine content strategy and enhance the buyer’s journey. High-performing content should be featured and expanded upon, while underperforming assets may need to be reworked or removed. Tracking repeated interactions helps identify buyer intent, allowing sales teams to tailor discussions to specific needs. For example, if a prospect engages with intranet-related content, sales can focus on corporate communications and collaboration tools. Understanding content consumption patterns ensures marketing delivers relevant resources, while sales can prioritize discussions, ultimately streamlining the path to conversion and improving the overall buyer experience.
Overcoming Friction Points: Aligning the Sales Process with Buyer Readiness
Friction in the sales process often arises when buyers recognize a problem but haven't defined the exact solution. Marketing plays a role in guiding research, while sales must help refine needs and align expectations. Challenges include unclear goals, undefined requirements, and a preference for off-the-shelf solutions. The most successful engagements happen when buyers collaborate with service providers early to define success. Building trust and ensuring alignment from the first conversation fosters smoother transactions and lasting partnerships. In technology sales, a trusted provider helps navigate complex decisions, ensuring solutions meet actual needs rather than initial assumptions.
The Role of Gen AI in Sales: Is It a Must-Have Feature for Buyers?
While AI is increasingly prevalent in sales processes, it has not yet become a must-have feature for buyers. Many still struggle with understanding its applications, and challenges like intellectual property concerns and hallucinations persist. Most customers inquire about AI features without clear objectives. Standard AI capabilities in DXPs include content creation, translation, and product recommendations. More advanced applications, like personalized journeys and industry-specific AI models, hold future potential. For instance, insurance companies could leverage AI-driven models to generate tailored quotes. However, most companies are still in the exploration phase, and AI’s full integration into sales remains a work in progress.
AI’s Evolving Role: Is It a Primary Focus in Content Creation and Tool Positioning?
AI’s role in content creation and tool positioning is evolving but remains a secondary priority for many organizations. While AI capabilities are often a checkbox requirement, businesses struggle to define their specific needs. Vendors, like Liferay, focus on practical applications, such as AI-driven customer support and content recommendations, rather than hyped future possibilities. A pragmatic approach—outlining what AI can do today versus its potential—helps businesses make informed decisions. Success depends on leveraging existing customer data to enhance experiences, ensuring AI integration is meaningful. As AI becomes more accessible, its role will shift from exploratory to essential.
The Future of B2B Buying and Selling: What’s Next?
The future of B2B buying and selling hinges on technology, with AI driving rapid transformation. Hyper-personalization will be key, ensuring the right message reaches the right audience at the right time. Marketers must evolve into full-stack professionals, mastering AI-driven tools to enhance targeting and engagement. AI will not only shape how businesses sell but also how buyers navigate their journey, making guided, data-driven experiences the norm. As AI adoption accelerates, the focus will shift from simply having AI to effectively leveraging its outputs for greater business impact. Those who adapt will thrive in the evolving B2B landscape.
Embracing the Future: Navigating AI-Driven B2B Success
The evolution of AI, personalization, and advanced marketing tools is reshaping B2B buying and selling. Businesses must not only adopt AI but also strategically leverage its capabilities to enhance customer experiences and drive results. Hyper-personalization, data-driven decision-making, and full-stack marketing expertise will define success in this new landscape. As AI continues to advance, staying ahead of trends and focusing on meaningful implementation will be crucial. The future of B2B isn’t just about checking the AI box—it’s about using technology to create smarter, more effective solutions. Those who adapt will lead the way in this rapidly evolving digital era.
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- A.J. Genzler: LinkedIn
- Keval Mehta: LinkedIn
- Resources: Liferay | Liferay Development Services
About: The Lessons for Tomorrow podcast is centered around conversations between industry experts sharing insights from the past, to apply in the present, to achieve success in the future. This podcast is the "motivational poster" in your ear; each episode is centered around conversations which motivate you to tackle new initiatives at your organization. We will be talking with some of the best and brightest minds in technology and marketing and will hear from the experts themselves about their latest experiences, their most recent challenges, and the road ahead. Every episode has a different story, a different answer, a different approach.
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