We know it has happened. The world of traditional sales and marketing is changing. Some of what we were trained to do is still working.

But if we are honest, some of it isn’t working.

The biggest change is the customers are now in charge. A whole new set of social and mobile tools gives customers power over the buying process that they have never had before. The big thing is that potential customers know it. Do we?

The buying journey has changed. Control has shifted from organizations to customers, which means today’s customers are taking it upon themselves to learn as much as they can about a brand and its competitors before making a purchase.

According to Forrester Research, today’s buyers would have gone through up to 90 percent of their buying journey before they make the first contact with a vendor. In some product categories, buyers will only contact a sales person when they’re ready for a price quote. “The sales funnel is no longer linear and the customer is completely in control of the path to purchase,” explains Mark Osborn, SAP’s global lead for consumer products industry marketing.

via Sales/marketing Funnel | Winning in the New and Improved Sales and Marketing Funnel.