LinkedIn’s Mimi Turner says that getting a big B2B deal over the line reminds her of a Bengali wedding. Not the bit with the drums and dancing – the bit where you have to get the entire family to agree it’s a good idea.
Mimi Turner, head of marketplace innovation at LinkedIn | The Science of Buyability
“An Indian wedding is a great analogy for B2B,” says Mimi Turner, head of marketplace innovation at LinkedIn. “Being considered is lovely. But getting everyone to say yes – that’s the marriage.”
The parents, the aunts, the cousins, the skeptical uncle – everyone has a view, and they all need convincing before the ceremony can begin.
Turner has spent the past two years with colleague Jann Schwarz, senior director of marketplace innovation, decoding how buying really works inside complex organizations. Their work underpins The Drum’s new video series, The Science of Buyability, launched this week, which explores how marketers can win not just hearts but consensus.
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“We wanted to unpack one question,” says Turner. “How can B2B marketers drive more visible revenue, faster? B2B is a $20tn category, yet marketing in B2B has less conviction than B2C. We set out to redefine what success looks like in a very specific B2B way.”
The research shows that the modern buying group is less a pipeline and more a family tree – sprawling, emotional and not always rational. “People from finance, legal, HR and procurement often have as much – if not slightly more – influence than the target buyers marketers usually focus on,” Turner explains.
“And when these hidden buyers get involved, it’s not the features or the price that sway them. The closer a buyer gets to saying yes, the more important validation and recommendations become. Do people like me use this company? Can I defend this decision later?”
Like a wedding, it’s about more than love at first sight – it’s about reassurance, reputation and the confidence that everyone will get along after the vows are said. “You can’t just charm the couple,” Turner adds. “You’ve got to make the whole family proud to be seen together.”
Schwarz agrees. “We’ve been far too focused on individuals – getting them to click or fill in a form – when the real opportunity is to warm up the whole group,” he says. “The job is to create collective confidence. Enough people inside that organization need to feel this is a safe, smart choice.”
That means starting much earlier in the buying journey. “If you’re not already known by everyone in the buying group at the start of the evaluation, you almost never win the deal,” Schwarz warns. “Once you’re on a shortlist, it’s table stakes to have the right product at the right price. What makes you stand out is trust, relatability and fame.”
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And while B2B marketers love to talk about leads, Turner says the real work lies in consensus-building. “Brand and demand aren’t opposite ends of a spectrum,” she argues. “They’re two answers to the same question – how do we help people agree?”
Her advice: stop spraying messages and start building fame in the right places. “Become famous in your category,” she says. “Understand your addressable market, know the people within it, and make sure you’re known and trusted by all of them – not just the ones filling in forms.”
Across three episodes, The Science of Buyability video series explores how marketers can build collective confidence, earn category fame and turn complex buying groups into one big, happy family.
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