I think we all accept that business buyers have higher expectations in the age of the customer.  They've  fundamentally changed their buying behavior in this digital age. Unfortunately, too many B2B marketers aren't keeping pace. They must evolve from brand stewards, lead generation machines, and sales supporters to architects of customer engagement across the customer life cycle. B2B marketing leaders need to introduce a change agenda to help B2B marketers lead the transformation to customer-obsessed marketing.  Here are some key takeaways from my recent report — Get Ready For The B2B Marketing Renaissance — on this topic.

Hey, It's Time To Catch Up With Your Buyer. Today's digitally empowered buyer controls the buying process far more than vendors control the selling process. B2B marketers must rethink their customer engagement strategies to catch up with an already evolved buyer.

2016 B2B Marketing Budget Plans Reveal ‘Business As Usual' Thinking. B2B marketing program spend held steady in 2015 at, on average, 6% of revenue. Yet the marketing mix remains stable and somewhat stolid, showing that marketers aren't yet looking for new ways to make operational funds generate more compelling customer experiences.

B2B Marketing Leaders Must Adopt A Broad Change Agenda. Transforming B2B marketing requires many critical changes. Top marketers accelerate this process when they create a shared vision that inspires their teams to take a customer-centric approach to marketing to better win, serve, and retain customers.

Here's a  slide I frequently use to discuss the B2B Marketing Change Agenda.  What do you think?  What are you struggling with?  How are you meeting those challenges?  I'm all eyes.