Buyer Journey Stages
Your real buyers don't ask one question. They progress through stages, each with different intent. We simulate this complete journey for you.
Why Journey Stages Matter
Being mentioned early in a buyer's research isn't the same as being recommended during final vendor selection. A prospect asking “what is CRM” has different needs than one asking “Salesforce vs HubSpot for mid-market B2B.”
We track your visibility across four distinct stages, so you can see exactly where AI platforms recommend you — and where they don't.
Problem Recognition
Your buyer realizes they have a problem or need. They're not looking for vendors yet — they're trying to understand and articulate their situation.
Example queries:
- “Why am I losing deals to competitors?”
- “How do other companies handle customer data?”
- “Signs my marketing isn't working”
Your visibility at this stage builds awareness. You want to be mentioned as a solution when buyers are first discovering their problem.
Solution Research
Your buyer explores potential approaches. They know they have a problem and are investigating what types of solutions exist.
Example queries:
- “What tools help track customer conversations?”
- “Best approaches to improve sales pipeline visibility”
- “How do companies automate their marketing?”
At this stage, buyers are forming their consideration set. If AI doesn't mention you or your category, you might be filtered out before you're even considered.
Vendor Evaluation
Your buyer compares specific options. This is where recommendations carry the most weight — and where your position matters most.
Example queries:
- “Best CRM for mid-size B2B companies”
- “Compare Monday vs Asana for agency workflows”
- “Top email marketing tools for e-commerce”
Vendor evaluation is the highest-intent stage. Being first in a list of recommendations here often determines who gets the demo request.
Competitive Intelligence
Your buyer researches alternatives and validates their shortlist. They may already have a frontrunner and are looking for reasons to confirm or change their choice.
Example queries:
- “Alternatives to Salesforce for small teams”
- “Is HubSpot worth the price?”
- “Why do companies switch from Zendesk?”
This stage reveals how AI positions you against your competitors. Strong visibility here can capture buyers who are considering switching from a competitor to you.
How Follow-Ups Work
Here's what makes our approach different: we don't just ask standalone questions. We craft follow-up questions based on what the AI actually responds.
If an AI mentions three competitors in response to “best project management tools,” we might follow up with:
- “How does [Competitor A] compare to [Competitor B] for remote teams?”
- “What are the downsides of [Competitor C]?”
- “Are there cheaper alternatives to [Competitor A]?”
This simulates how your real buyers behave. The result is visibility data that reflects actual conversational patterns, not artificial single-prompt tests.