The traditional tech marketing model was built for a world where a single IT decision-maker (ITDM) took the lead on almost all tech buying decisions. They were easy to identify and target, and happy to share their details and have follow-up conversations because it made them better at their job.

This isn’t how most tech buying journeys now work. Tech-savvy employees at all levels are confident about suggesting solutions based on their own experience and new providers they’ve heard about. Thanks to Freemium business models, they’re often able to experiment with new ways of doing things without going through a procurement process.

As a tech marketer, you don’t just want a brand that people have heard of. You want a brand that motivates all kinds of people to take action. Self-personalisation involves inviting buyers to share information that’s obviously relevant to the experience they’re having. If somebody’s searching for the right solution for their business, asking them what the business does and what their role is makes sense to them. Asking for their name and email address doesn’t.

Reassuring anonymous buyers that they’re in control of their buying journey gives you the ideal framework for nurturing them. It also provides you with valuable insight about the questions your audience wants answered and the nature of their interest in your business.

Once an anonymous buyer is experiencing your business on their own terms, they start to think differently about their relationship with you. When you are already treating them like a loyal customer, they are far more willing to share their details.

In the anonymous buyer journey, a lead represents someone who is already engaged with your business and your proposition, and may well be experiencing a free version of it.

This changes the role of sales from pitching a solution to helping an anonymous buyer expand the relationship with your business.