What B2B Marketers Need to Know About the JOLT Effect
Why do so many seemingly qualified B2B leads fail to convert, even when they show strong initial interest?
It's a critical question for marketers constantly measuring their impact on the company's bottom line. Often, the assumption points to external factors like budget or timing.
However, according to Ted McKenna, co-author of The JOLT Effect, insights taken from analyzing an unprecedented 2.5 million sales interactions reveal a more profound internal obstacle: buyer indecision.
Based on our recent Attributed Podcast discussion with Ted, this article breaks down all the takeaways for B2B marketing teams aiming to understand this phenomenon and improve sales outcomes.
Listen to the entire conversation here.
The Impact of Buyer Indecision on B2B Sales Funnels
A startling amount of B2B sales potential simply evaporates long before a decision is made.
Research behind the JOLT framework (judge, offer, limit, take risk off) found that 40-60% of deals are lost because buyers ultimately choose to do nothing. Crucially, this isn't just comfort with the status quo.
Ted explains that over half (56%) of these “no decision” losses stem directly from buyer indecision, a paralysis rooted in the fear of making a mistake.
Even in rational business settings, buyers are human. This susceptibility to fear means that even interested buyers, who may have already chosen a vendor, can become stuck, unable to commit due to the perceived personal risk of failure.
This paralysis has direct consequences for B2B marketers.
When leads generated through significant investment stall due to indecision, that effort is wasted. Understanding and addressing this internal buyer friction is not just a sales challenge, but a critical factor in maximizing marketing ROI and improving pipeline conversion.
Why B2B Buyers Freeze
Understanding why buyers freeze requires looking at the underlying psychology.
The JOLT research highlights a critical insight often overlooked in B2B sales: buyers fear making a mistake (an "error of commission") far more intensely than they fear missing out on potential gains ("error of omission").
Ted explains how potential negative consequences for their job or reputation heavily outweigh most incentives or discounts offered. This fear of "messing up" is a powerful blocker.
For additional perspectives on leveraging loss aversion in B2B marketing in B2B marketing, check out this article with Nancy Harhut.
Misunderstanding this core fear leads to a common, critical error in sales tactics.
When buyers hesitate, salespeople often default to increasing pressure and emphasizing urgency, assuming the buyer simply lacks desire.
However, as Ted warns, this approach dramatically backfires when dealing with indecisive individuals. Applying more pressure to someone already frozen by fear deepens their anxiety and makes inaction more likely, not less.
The Three Causes of Buyer Indecision
Beyond this core psychology and flawed tactical responses, the JOLT research pinpointed three specific anxieties that manifest as buyer indecision, often overlapping or varying between stakeholders within a buying committee.
1. Options Overload
Buyers can feel overwhelmed by too many choices regarding product configuration, implementation paths, or service levels. They struggle to evaluate the trade-offs effectively and fear making a sub-optimal choice they'll later regret.
2. Information Overload
The buyer could feel that they haven’t done enough research, or that critical information could still be hidden. This drives "analysis paralysis" as they seek absolute certainty before committing.
3. Expectations Overload (or Outcome Uncertainty)
Buyers worry that despite assurances and case studies, their specific situation will be the exception where things go wrong. They harbor fears based on past negative experiences with change or technology projects within their own company.
Fortunately, the research didn't just diagnose these paralyzing fears; Ted also outlined the JOLT framework, an actionable process high-performing salespeople use to actively mitigate these issues during the sales conversation.
The JOLT Framework
JOLT is an acronym representing four key actions:
Judge the actual level of indecision the buyer is experiencing. This involves going beyond surface-level interest to understand their capacity to make a choice, sometimes using subtle probes or conversational "pings," as Ted calls them, to gauge underlying hesitation they might not express directly.
Offer a firm, guiding recommendation. Instead of presenting endless options that fuel paralysis, leverage expertise to cut through complexity. Simplify the path forward by suggesting a specific starting package, advising what not to do initially, or using an "if it were me" approach based on experience.
Limit the exploration needed by building trust. This involves acting as a credible buyer's agent, confidently guiding the buyer through necessary information without overwhelming them. Ted recommends achieving this by “owning the flow" during meetings rather than passively deferring to technical experts, and proactively addressing potential questions or concerns before the buyer even voices them.
Take perceived risk off the table. To combat outcome uncertainty, proactively set realistic expectations early about what's achievable and practical. Employ strategies or safety nets, ranging from offering extra team training to specific contract terms or checkpoints designed to reduce the buyer's specific fear of negative consequences.
Essentially, this framework equips salespeople to act less like product pushers and more like trusted advisors who help buyers navigate the inherent difficulties of making complex decisions.
Rewiring Marketing’s Approach to B2B Buyer Indecision
Recognizing buyer indecision and the JOLT framework is not solely a sales concern.
B2B marketers play a pivotal role in setting the stage, providing the right tools, and shaping the narrative to help prevent and overcome buyer paralysis.
Ted outlines a few key considerations specifically for marketers.
Acknowledge and Address Emotion
Marketing collateral and messaging should build comfort, demonstrate expertise not just in the product but in the process of change, and paint a picture of manageable, successful implementation.
Think case studies framed around overcoming implementation hurdles, clear process guides, and testimonials that speak to support and partnership.
Enable Clear Recommendations
Help sales make firm recommendations by defining clear pathways based on common customer needs and outcomes, helping articulate the trade-offs involved, and structuring offerings in a way that simplifies decision-making.
Facilitate Early Discovery & Trust
Equip sales teams with messaging and tools that help them identify what path the buyer is already on early in the process. Marketing content can build trust by transparently addressing common concerns or potential pitfalls, positioning the company as a knowledgeable guide.
Reinforce the ICP
A clear ICP is foundational for building confidence and enabling JOLT principles like setting proper expectations and making relevant recommendations to buyers.
A Final Word
The research behind "The JOLT Effect" provides a lens for B2B marketers to gain a deeper understanding of the human psychology driving buyer behavior, particularly the paralyzing fear of making a mistake.
By acknowledging this reality and aligning strategies to address buyer fears, simplify choices, build trust through transparency, and ground everything in a clear ICP, marketers can significantly impact deal velocity and conversion rates.
Ultimately, conquering indecision is the next frontier for maximizing marketing's contribution to revenue growth.
About the speaker
Ted McKenna is a researcher by trade and the co-author of the influential book The JOLT Effect. With a background in studying sales and marketing best practices, Ted focuses on understanding buyer behavior, particularly the challenges of indecision, drawing insights from large-scale analysis of sales conversations to help organizations improve performance.
