CREview Ep. 60 | Here's How Everything in CRE Just Changed

Josh and Dylan explain how AI has shifted buyer behavior: 80% of buyers now research invisibly before reaching out, making consideration the new metric that matters most.

Key Takeaways

Roughly 80% of buyers now research independently before ever contacting a company, often through 8-13 pieces of content.

Much of the modern buyer journey is now invisible to traditional marketing tracking, thanks to AI-assisted research.

Consideration—being visible and credible during that invisible research phase—is becoming a more important metric than leads alone.

Winning now requires connecting marketing, UX, CRM, data, and customer success into one system, not just running isolated campaigns.

The next stage of this shift is hyperpersonalization, where AI tools tailor recommendations based on individual user preferences and history.

Frequently Asked Questions

How has commercial real estate buyer behavior changed recently?

Around 80% of buyers now research independently, using AI tools and search, before ever contacting a company directly, moving through much of their decision-making in ways companies can no longer track.

What is the invisible buyer journey in commercial real estate?

It refers to the largely untrackable research phase where prospects use AI chat tools and search engines to evaluate options, often narrowing their choices before a company even knows they exist as a lead.

What does 'consideration' mean in modern marketing, and why does it matter?

Consideration refers to whether a company shows up and appears credible during a buyer's independent research phase; it's becoming a more important metric than leads alone, since being considered determines whether you're even in the running.

How can a company be found when people research using AI tools?

By building a consistent ecosystem of trustworthy, well-structured content across a company's website and other channels that AI tools can reliably find and cite when answering related questions.

What is hyperpersonalization in marketing?

It's the idea that AI tools will increasingly tailor recommendations to an individual's specific preferences and history, making consistent brand messaging and loyalty more important than ever.

Why can't companies rely only on retargeting ads anymore?

Much of the modern buyer journey happens through AI-assisted research that traditional retargeting and cookie-based tracking simply can't see or follow.

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