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When was the last time you got something in the post that you didn’t immediately transfer to the bin? When did you last answer your phone without knowing the number that was calling you? When did you last sit through a commercial break on the TV, or read the advert section in the newspaper (or even read a newspaper at all)?

When did you last stop to talk to someone with a clipboard on the highstreet? Or say anything other than “thanks but I'm just browsing” to the salesperson in a shop, or buy something from a door to door salesman?

The answer to these questions is probably “never” if you are under 25 and “a very long time ago” if you are older. In 2016 we all live in our own little bubble, we choose exactly what we want to read, see and hear, we choose what we want to buy on our own and we very rarely talk to anyone that might be trying to sell us something. The really surprising thing is that people continue to spend huge amounts of money paying for all these things, adverts and junkmail and telesales and all manner of other annoying ways of trying to get our attention!

As marketers our number one concern should be how to get into peoples bubbles and actually start a conversation with them, unfortunately, the only guaranteed way to get into peoples bubbles in to be invited in and that is something you have to earn.

People don't buy things the way they used to, 50 years ago there were 3 companies that sold widgets, now there are now 3,000,000, scattered across the world – all of whom will happily take your money and pop a widget in the post! This means a lot of competition for your widget dollar and puts the buyer firmly in control. No matter what marketers and salespeople do, the buyer is never going to relinquish that control – the best that we can do is accept the fact and realise that we have to earn our way into peoples bubbles by developing a thorough understanding of our buyers journey and helping them as much as we can along the way – because if we don't, they will buy from someone that does! unknownx500 Dykam

How to Do Market Research: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding Your Buyer's Journey https://t.co/MQ7e08uYhk

— Sam Hurley 😎💻😎 💗 Kindness Enthusiast 💗 (@Sam___Hurley) September 7, 2016

How to Do #Market #Research: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding Your Buyer's Journey https://t.co/yZDXH5jTCm pic.twitter.com/hNLOMhy19y

— Andrée Archbold (@AndreeArchbold) August 31, 2016

Buyer interests change depending on where they are in the journey. Does your content change with their interests? @jenniferharmel2 #CMWorld

— Jason Stewart (@jstewart_1) September 8, 2016

How to Create Content for Every Stage of the Buyer's Journey https://t.co/GDgv83haDh

— Meticulosity (@Meticulosity) September 8, 2016

57% of the buyer's journey is completed before the buyer talks to sales. https://t.co/vXrz8RbIvr #growthhacking pic.twitter.com/z2Sgt9953y

— Jeff Davis (@jeff_davis2) September 8, 2016

More posts by Chris Grant