One of the things I love most about hosting The Pipeline Brew is when a guest puts words to a feeling I’ve had but hadn’t quite articulated yet. My recent conversation with Ben Henson, Co-Founder and CRO of Peel AI, was exactly one of those moments.
We didn’t set out to record a manifesto on modern B2B buying. But as we discussed AI, content, and go-to-market realities, a simple truth kept surfacing.
Nobody wants to be sold to. Everybody wants help buying.
The friction in the modern journey
The B2B buying journey didn’t break overnight, but it has certainly drifted. For years, marketers have optimized funnels, layered on tools, and increased “engagement.” Yet the result is that buyers often feel more overwhelmed and disconnected than ever.
Ben highlighted a reality I see every day.
Buyers are already doing the work. They are researching and shortlisting solutions long before they ever talk to a sales rep.
We’ve made it noisier. Instead of easing the process, we deliver PDFs that go unread and content that gets stripped of context by AI summarizers.
The issue is alignment. It’s not a lack of effort on our part. It’s a lack of alignment with how people actually want to buy.
The evolution of experience: Enter VX
One of the most compelling parts of our conversation was Ben’s framing of how digital experiences are evolving.
UX, or user experience, helped people use software.
CX, or customer experience, focused on supporting customers at scale.
VX, or voice experience, is about meeting buyers exactly where and when curiosity strikes.
Buyers don’t operate on a standard nine-to-five schedule. They research at night. They think asynchronously. They want answers in their own language at the moment they ask the question, not three emails later.
Voice and conversational experiences are not about novelty. They are about removing friction and enabling movement rather than forcing motion.
Enablement beats education
In marketing, we often think of content as a tool for education. But education without direction can leave a buyer stuck.
Ben kept coming back to enablement. Helping buyers find the specific answers they care about. Letting them skip ahead in the journey instead of forcing a linear path.
One line that stuck with me was this: “Disqualification is a gift to buyers and to teams.”
When we design experiences that respect a buyer’s time and intent, including making it easy to say, “this isn’t for me,” trust follows.
A final thought for marketers
If there is one takeaway for marketers navigating this era of AI, tighter budgets, and higher expectations, it’s this.
Don’t get rigid. Get curious.
The leaders who will stand out aren’t necessarily the ones chasing every trend. They are the ones experimenting thoughtfully, listening closely, and staying human in how they show up.
That’s what The Pipeline Brew is all about. This conversation with Ben was a strong reminder of why that matters.
If you want to hear the full conversation, we go much deeper into AI, go-to-market lessons from the founder’s seat, and what it really means to help buyers buy on their terms.
Listen to the full episode with Ben here → Brewing Success with Ben Henson
