{"id":761,"slug":"forrester-state-business-buying-2026-13-and-9","title":"Forrester State of Business Buying, 2026: typical B2B buying decision involves 13 internal stakeholders + 9 external influencers","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["b2b-buying"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Forrester's *State of Business Buying, 2026* puts the typical B2B buying decision at 13 internal stakeholders plus 9 external influencers, rising for more complex purchases.\n\n**Source:** https://investor.forrester.com/news-releases/news-release-details/forresters-state-business-buying-2026-report-finds-buyers-are\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Updates [[gartner-6-to-10-decision-makers-2019]]** — newer, larger group sizes consistent with the post-pandemic interaction increase from [[forrester-2021-b2b-buying-interactions-17-to-27]].\n\n**For GC SMB application:** 13+9 is for enterprise purchases. For a $1M–$5M residential GC, buying group is owner + spouse + (sometimes) office manager. For $5M–$50M ICI, it is owner + estimator/PM + BD lead + external referrer (architect/LP partner). See [[gc-buying-group-composition-by-tier]].","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"gartner-6-to-10-decision-makers-2019","title":"Gartner: typical B2B buying group is 6-10 decision-makers; ~95% revisit earlier decisions (CSO Update, 2019)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"supersedes"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-gc-marketing-trust-may-2026","title":"Research brief: GC Marketing & Trust — sales-positioning for $1M–$50M Ontario general contractors (May 23, 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"gc-buying-group-composition-by-tier","title":"GC buying-group composition by revenue tier (Candid synthesis for SMB application of [[forrester-state-business-buying-2026-13-and-9]])","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-23T21:58:32.521Z","updated_at":"2026-05-23T21:58:32.521Z"}