> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.knack4business.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Confused Buyers Choose Your Competitor | M. Pietrzak - URL: https://blog.knack4business.com/confused-buyers-choose-your-competitor-m-pietrzak/ - Published: 2026-08-09T18:00:06.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-09T18:00:05.000Z - Description: Buyers don't follow your funnel. They follow their feelings. Martin Pietrzak explains the Messy Middle and how small businesses can close the gap. - Author: Bernie Franzgrote - Tags: Marketing & Branding, marketing strategy, buyer psychology, messy middle, small business marketing, B2B marketing, business growth, marketing clarity, Pinch Marketing,, Martin Pietrzak, Knack 4 Business, marketing tips, trust in business, content marketing **Host: Bernie Franzgrote** Most small businesses market hard and still lose the sale. Martin Pietrzak explains the Messy Middle and how to fix it. ### **GROWTH CATEGORY:** **Marketing & Branding** --- **Brought to you by** [*Profit10™*](https://tinyurl.com/58she8w6?ref=blog.knack4business.com)*,* [*Notionhive*](https://tinyurl.com/35hrnu4a?ref=blog.knack4business.com)*, and* [*Canada Growth Network*](https://tinyurl.com/3s5d3ayv?ref=blog.knack4business.com)*.* --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c2/71/c271bbbd-7656-42a5-bca8-28e3520864c6/content/images/2026/07/PROFIT10-trnsprnt-LOGO-3-1.png) #### Profit10 - SNAPSHOT Take the free Profit Snapshot. Ten questions. No cost. Find out what's really holding your business back. [TAKE the 5 FREE MINUTE TEST](https://tinyurl.com/58she8w6?ref=blog.knack4business.com) --- You're posting. You're showing up. Your website is live. And buyers are still choosing someone else. Martin Pietrzak has spent over 20 years in tech and channel marketing helping brands stop blending in and start getting chosen. He joined [Knack 4 Business](https://knack4business.com/?ref=blog.knack4business.com) to talk about the one space most small businesses completely ignore — the Messy Middle. --- ### **Watch the full conversation here:** --- ### **WHO THIS IS FOR** SMB owners / Solopreneurs / Corporate escapees / Leaders building systems --- ### **Key Lessons** **1\. Buyers don't follow your funnel — they follow their feelings** Martin is direct about this. Marketers love a clean linear path from awareness to purchase. Buyers don't care about that path. They find something, forget it, come back, ask a friend, watch a video, go quiet, and then decide — on their own timeline, driven by their own emotional state. The biggest mistake is building a marketing plan around the journey you want buyers to take instead of the one they actually take. For a small business, that means your message needs to show up in multiple places, multiple times, in a tone that feels human — not like a funnel. **2\. Emotion drives B2B buying just as much as B2C** A corporate buyer might look formal. They might come with a committee and an RFP. But behind that purchase is a person — someone who's been burned before, whose job might be on the line, who needs to feel confident before they sign anything. Martin's point is simple: stop separating B2B and B2C like they're different species. They're not. They're both people making decisions under pressure. The business that makes them feel sure wins the sale. **3\. Listening is the most underused marketing tool you have** Martin told a story about a cold call he received. The rep launched straight into a pitch for digital marketing services — never asked what Martin did for a living. Martin runs a marketing agency. One question would have saved everyone's time and possibly opened a different conversation entirely. The lesson applies to every sales call, every discovery session, every follow-up email. Ask one more question before you explain your solution. Let the buyer tell you where they are. Then meet them there. --- ### **Practical Steps** **1\. Map the real journey, not the ideal one** Talk to three recent clients and ask them to walk you through how they actually decided to work with you. You will find touchpoints you never knew mattered and gaps you didn't know existed. **2\. Validate before you launch** Before your next product or service launch, share it with a small group of real prospects — not friends, not family. Let them tell you if the message lands. Your instincts are right about half the time. The market fills in the rest. **3\. Build trust before you build the pitch** — [Notionhive](https://tinyurl.com/35hrnu4a?ref=blog.knack4business.com) is worth a look if your website is the first place buyers go quiet. A site built around buyer trust looks different from one built around your services list. — --- ### **About the Guest** Martin Pietrzak is the founder and president of [Pinch Marketing](https://www.pinch.marketing/?ref=blog.knack4business.com) — a boutique agency that helps technology vendors and partners build campaigns around how real buyers make decisions. With more than 20 years in tech, SaaS, and channel marketing, he has worked with AWS, Softchoice, Zscaler, and Veeam. He also hosts the [Pinch Of series](https://www.youtube.com/@pinchmarketing?ref=blog.knack4business.com) on YouTube — interviews with partner marketers for anyone working in the field. Connect with him on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinpietrzak/?ref=blog.knack4business.com). --- ### **Listen on Audio** [Listen on Simplecast](https://tinyurl.com/26p7my3d?ref=blog.knack4business.com) [Browse all episodes](https://tinyurl.com/y8tctv4v?ref=blog.knack4business.com) --- ### **Partners on this episode** [Profit10™](https://tinyurl.com/58she8w6?ref=blog.knack4business.com) — Take the free Profit Snapshot. Ten questions. No cost. Find out what's really holding your business back. [Notionhive](https://tinyurl.com/35hrnu4a?ref=blog.knack4business.com) — Websites built to perform, not just look good. If your site isn't bringing in clients, the strategy needs a rethink. [Canada Growth Network](https://tinyurl.com/3s5d3ayv?ref=blog.knack4business.com) — Real referral-based connections plus a done-for-you automation stack. $47/month Canadian. --- ### **FAQ** **What is the Messy Middle in marketing?** The Messy Middle is the non-linear space between a buyer first discovering your business and actually making a purchase. It's where they research, forget, come back, talk to friends, and decide — on their own timeline, not yours. **Why do B2B buyers make emotional decisions?** Because behind every corporate purchase is a person. They may have been burned before. Their job may be on the line. They need to feel confident before they commit — and that confidence is built through trust, not features. **How can a small business stand out without a big budget?** Start by listening more than you pitch. Validate your message with real prospects before you launch. Show up consistently in the places your buyers actually go — and sound like a human when you do. --- ****Next Steps to Take** - [Join Canada Growth Network](https://tinyurl.com/3s5d3ayv?ref=blog.knack4business.com) — $47 CAD/month. Real connections + a robust CRM. - [Web Indexer](https://tinyurl.com/yav4edf5?ref=blog.knack4business.com) — Quick install chatbot. Info 24/7 for your site visitors. - [Browse all episodes (K4B / ETW / CGN)](https://tinyurl.com/y8tctv4v?ref=blog.knack4business.com) - [Search K4B episodes by topic](https://knack4business.com/?ref=blog.knack4business.com) using the Web Indexer! - [Want to be a guest? Register here](https://knack4business.com/?ref=blog.knack4business.com) [Canada Growth Network - check it out! ](https://tinyurl.com/3s5d3ayv?ref=blog.knack4business.com) --- ### **K4B Acknowledgements** - [Carl Richards](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-richards-3a0a223/?ref=blog.knack4business.com) - [Fred Crouch](https://tinyurl.com/3psh5bdk?ref=blog.knack4business.com) - [Jovan Strika — @Hive](https://tinyurl.com/4dmcxah8?ref=blog.knack4business.com) - [Melanie Webber](https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-webber-879806128/?ref=blog.knack4business.com)