S 01 Ep 6 | Where You Go for Software: Reach Your Peak

With Godard Abel, the Founder & CEO of G2

Godard Abel is a seasoned entrepreneur renowned for his influential contributions to the tech industry, particularly in the realm of sales software and cloud-based solutions. As a Co-founder of BigMachines, Abel played a pivotal role in establishing the company as a leader in cloud-based sales software, steering its growth and eventual acquisition by Oracle.

Key Takeaways

(00:10-03:46) About G2

(03:42-07:10) Change in Buyers' Expectations

(07:10-11:11) How AI, Human Reviews, and a Structured Platform are Changing the Industry

(11:11-18:16) SEO and How Buyers Behave

(18:16-21:59) What moves people in their search for a digital product

(22:00-24:54) Angry customers still care

(34:40-39:50) Market Trends vs Narrow Specialty

(39:50-43:34) Next Steps for G2

(43:34-52:00) Advice for B2B companies

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Transforming the
Buyer Experience

In this episode, Godard Abel, CEO of G2, and Alex Shevelenko dive deep into the shifting expectations of software buyers, the importance of AI in transforming the buying process, and how platforms like G2 are adapting to meet these changes. They discuss how modern buyers are seeking more self-service experiences, the rise of SEO and organic content as essential tools for software discovery, and the growing influence of user reviews over traditional marketing. The conversation also explores how B2B companies can adapt to these changes to deliver smoother, more delightful customer experiences. Tune in to learn how the future of software buying is being reshaped and what businesses need to do to stay ahead.

1. Change in buyers' expectations

Godard Abel talks about the evolving expectations of software buyers, emphasizing that these expectations have significantly changed since the founding of G2. He explains that the modern software buyer prefers a more self-service, consumer-like experience, where they can freely explore and try products before making a decision. This shift is driven by companies like HubSpot, which pioneered the inbound funnel, offering free educational content and allowing prospects to learn on their own terms without barriers like paywalls.

Godard notes that, according to Gartner, 80 to 90% of the buying decision is now made online, and sellers need to provide a great buying experience by making content freely available, allowing users to educate themselves. Buyers can now try software for free and engage with salespeople only when they’re ready.

He also highlights the growing influence of AI, pointing to the way tools like ChatGPT have revolutionized how people consume information. AI can quickly synthesize vast amounts of data, making it easier for buyers to find the insights they need without having to sift through dozens of websites or reviews. GA mentions that G2 is also leveraging AI to process and present millions of reviews across thousands of categories, allowing users to get the data they want efficiently. He believes this approach will help G2 provide even more value to its users by making software selection easier and faster.

I do think AI is only getting accelerated more because of what ChatGPT has shown right now, we can really easily educate ourselves on any topic, and the internet already made that possible with search, but search is still a bit clunky.
— Godard Abel

2. How AI, Human Reviews, and a Structured Platform are changing the industry

Godard Abel (GA) reflects on the evolving expectations of software buyers, noting that most buyers don’t trust traditional sales and marketing materials. He references G2's annual survey, where only 20-30% of buyers trust marketing content, highlighting a shift in the industry. GA reminisces about the early days of enterprise software when companies would sell through beautiful PowerPoint presentations and promises, often failing to deliver products until years later. This left buyers skeptical and wary of marketing claims.

He believes that today’s buyers expect products to deliver on their promises from day one. GA draws a parallel with modern hiring practices, where professionals now rely on LinkedIn for references rather than official ones. He sees G2 as a platform that allows buyers to access real, peer-driven reviews, helping them validate whether a product lives up to its marketing claims. GA emphasizes that G2, in combination with LinkedIn, provides a powerful way for buyers to gain confidence in a product by leveraging blind references and social proof.

Ultimately, GA argues that the most successful companies on G2 have proven customer satisfaction, and that relying solely on marketing claims, as companies like Siebel did years ago, is no longer a viable strategy. In today's market, a product’s actual performance and customer feedback are critical to success.

The work world is shifting towards reading real user reviews, really understanding the taxonomy of features and how it compares to other vendors. That's one of the reasons why one of RELAYTO’s first investments was actually in G2 because we really believed that our users will want to hear from other real users.
— Godard Abel

3. SEO and how buyers behave

In this conversation, Alex Shevelenko discusses how their company, while fortunate to have large enterprise clients, wanted to ensure individual users were successful in using their product. He emphasizes that their mission is to democratize great content creation and consumption experiences. He notes that simply focusing on onboarding a few large enterprise customers wouldn't scale, and that a real user experience is essential for enterprise-wide adoption. As they’ve noticed, enterprise clients are increasingly starting their search for software through Google, which makes it crucial to focus on organic content and SEO to attract users, rather than relying on paid SEM.

Godard Abel agrees, highlighting that 98% of enterprise buyers start with Google when looking for software. He emphasizes the importance of SEO and fresh content, pointing out that G2’s success in attracting buyers is due to consistently creating valuable and relevant content. He explains that SEO is a long-term, compounded strategy, and that startups should initially focus on a narrow niche to build expertise before expanding. Godard shares his experience, noting that G2 had to focus on CRM at the beginning and steadily built momentum by consistently creating relevant content. He adds that while SEM can be useful for early-stage startups, it’s expensive and doesn’t scale well in the long run, making organic SEO a more sustainable strategy.

But SEO is a tough game because, as you know, Google also keeps changing the algorithm. But Google does say that long term, the best content will win because Google does measure, obviously, what percent of people actually click through and engage with the content they surface through.
— Godard Abel

4. Market Trends vs Narrow Specialty

Alex Shevelenko (shares his admiration for Marc Benioff's ability to stay customer-centric while continuously evolving Salesforce to lead emerging trends. Reflecting on his own experience at Salesforce during its early days, he highlights how the company launched a wide range of products while maintaining a focus on its core platform as a system of record and engagement. Alex acknowledges that in the startup world, where resources are limited, it’s tempting to try to cover multiple niches. However, he challenges the idea that startups need to be hyper-focused on one specific niche, suggesting that in today's economic climate, consolidation is more common. Users often prefer fewer tools that can handle multiple jobs effectively, which leads to the rise of horizontal platforms with specialized features for specific applications.

Godard Abel agrees, pointing out that early-stage companies should focus on mastering one specific job before expanding. He mentions how successful platforms like Salesforce and others began by solving one core problem well—Salesforce with sales force automation, for example—before eventually growing into comprehensive platforms. Godard advises entrepreneurs to start by offering a unique, valuable solution and then gradually expand the product’s capabilities over time. He stresses that unless you have significant capital, it’s crucial to narrow your focus at the start and only scale once you’ve established a strong foundation and gained market recognition. This approach balances the need for specialization with the long-term vision of becoming a broader platform.

5. Advice for B2B companies

Godard Abel stresses the importance of making the buying experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible. He advises B2B marketers to focus on removing friction from the process. This includes eliminating barriers like paywalls and avoiding overwhelming prospects with marketing or sales messages until they’re ready. The key, he says, is to let buyers learn at their own pace and monitor their activity with permission, so you can engage them at the right moment with the right message.

Godard emphasizes that a delightful shopping experience is the goal, making it easy for buyers to explore, purchase, and try products. While automated processes and personalized sequences have their place, he believes the true value lies in providing the buyer with a seamless and enjoyable experience.

He also acknowledges that for many enterprise solutions, human interaction still plays an essential role. Buyers might need consulting or advice, especially when it comes to integrating complex platforms. However, GA suggests that, by getting buyers to try products first and engaging with them digitally at the right time, the overall experience becomes much more positive. When done correctly, it can lead to moments where buyers feel surprised and grateful, like when a sales rep reaches out just as the buyer is ready to engage.

I do think it's enabling the buyer to have a delightful shopping experience. Let them learn as they want to learn. I feel the good beauty of digital is you can monitor their activity with their permission, right? But you score them, see how they're heating up, and then reach out at just the right time with the right message, and then it becomes a delightful buying experience.
— Godard Abel