In B2B markets, buying decisions were once driven by a handful of stakeholders. Today, that model is largely broken. Modern B2B purchases—especially in technology, services, and enterprise solutions—are increasingly decided by large, cross-functional buying committees.
While this shift was meant to reduce risk and improve decision quality, it has created a new problem: deals are stalling, sales cycles are stretching, and decisions are getting stuck indefinitely.
The Evolution of B2B Buying Committees –
B2B buying was once driven by a single decision-maker or a small leadership group, but that reality has changed dramatically. Today, purchasing decisions—especially in mid-market and enterprise B2B—are made by large, cross-functional buying committees. This expansion is driven by increasing deal sizes, higher risk exposure, and the interconnected nature of modern business systems. As solutions impact more departments, more stakeholders demand a seat at the table, slowing momentum and increasing friction. What was once a linear process has become complex and political.
Key drivers behind larger committees include:
- Higher budgets and longer contract commitments
- Increased regulatory and compliance scrutiny
- Technology affecting multiple departments at once
- Risk-averse leadership cultures
Risk Aversion and Accountability Pressure –
One of the biggest reasons deals get stuck is fear—fear of making the wrong decision. In today’s economic climate, B2B leaders are under intense pressure to justify every investment. Buying committees grow as individuals attempt to distribute accountability across departments. When everyone is responsible, no one wants to be the final decision-maker. This leads to delays, repeated evaluations, and endless internal discussions. Risk mitigation has overtaken speed as the primary buying priority.
Common risk-related behaviors include:
- Multiple rounds of internal approvals
- Demand for extensive ROI justification
- Preference for established vendors over innovative ones
Conflicting Priorities Within Committees –
As buying committees expand, alignment becomes harder to achieve. Each stakeholder enters the process with different incentives, metrics, and concerns. IT may prioritize security and integration, finance focuses on cost control, operations look for efficiency, and end users want ease of use. These competing priorities often conflict, causing internal gridlock. Vendors may interpret silence as disinterest, when in reality the buyer is stuck in internal debate.
Typical internal conflicts include:
- Cost vs. capability trade-offs
- Speed of implementation vs. system stability
- Innovation vs. standardization
Information Overload and Decision Paralysis –
Modern buying committees are drowning in information. Reports, demos, analyst opinions, peer reviews, and internal data all compete for attention. While access to information should accelerate decisions, it often has the opposite effect. Committees continuously seek “one more data point” to validate their choice, leading to stalled deals. The abundance of options also increases fear of choosing incorrectly.
Factors contributing to decision paralysis include:
- Too many vendor options with similar offerings
- Conflicting external recommendations
- Overuse of comparison matrices and scorecards
- Repeated product demos and pilot requests
- Constantly changing evaluation criteria
How Vendors Are Unintentionally Making It Worse –
Many B2B sellers struggle to adapt to this new buying reality. Sales strategies designed for single decision-makers fail when applied to committees. Overloading buyers with features, generic decks, and aggressive follow-ups can increase resistance rather than clarity. Vendors often focus on selling their product instead of helping buyers navigate internal complexity. As a result, deals stall—not because of poor fit, but because of poor enablement.
Common vendor missteps include:
- Failing to identify all stakeholders early
- Using one-size-fits-all messaging
- Not addressing internal objections proactively
- Ignoring internal champions’ political challenges
Conclusion –
B2B buying committees are getting bigger because risk is higher, accountability is shared, and decisions impact more of the organization than ever before. While this shift is rational, it has made decision-making slower and more fragile, causing deals to stall or collapse entirely. For buyers, the challenge is achieving alignment without paralysis. For sellers, success now depends on enabling consensus, reducing perceived risk, and guiding committees through complexity—not just pitching a product. In the modern B2B landscape, deals don’t get stuck because of lack of interest; they get stuck because decision-making itself has become the hardest part.