With almost two-thirds (65%) of B2B businesses reporting tighter buyer budgets as one of their biggest challenges last year, a new report has revealed the top sales and marketing challenges in 2025, as well as how to tackle them.

The report, created by the lead generation experts at Sopro – a global multi-channel prospecting service for B2B businesses – dives into the trends and challenges shaping industry strategies.

The fourth annual report features insights from more than 400 senior B2B decision-makers, data from 97.9 million emails and 21.6 million multi-channel touchpoints, as well as innovative strategies from leading outreach experts.

Some of the report’s insights include:

Top sales challenges

• Complex B2B buying processes: the number of businesses with over six buyers has almost tripled in two years, and 7% of DMUs involve 10+ stakeholders
• Longer sales cycles: over a third of businesses say prospects are taking longer to make a purchasing decision – up by around 8.3% in the last year
• Increasing buyer selectivity: 65% of B2B businesses said buyers have tighter budgets compared to the previous year & a third of businesses faced the challenge of leads going silent without an explanation.

Top marketing challenges

• Generating enough leads: Struggling to generate enough leads was one of the main challenges faced by 45% of businesses last year.
• Lead quality: Lead quality is one of the biggest marketing challenges faced by B2B companies, with 42% of businesses reporting on issues related to low-quality or irrelevant leads.

Tackling sales challenges

• 62% of businesses have increased their marketing investment over the past year—more than in any other area
• 70% of B2B companies regard prospecting as an essential part of their new business strategy
• 75% of B2B vendors say results are better when multiple prospecting channels are combined

Steve Harlow, Chief Sales Officer at Sopro, reveals three key opportunities for sales and marketing teams in 2025:

Personalised experiences: AI is transforming B2B outreach by enabling data-driven insights and personalised messaging.  Companies that use AI effectively will deliver a more impactful experience, gaining a competitive edge over one-size-fits-all methods.

ABM adoption: Larger DMUs and more complex buying processes make targeting multiple stakeholders essential. Advances in data analytics and AI have made ABM accessible, helping businesses of all sizes identify key decision-makers.

Act on real-time insights: Intent signals offer valuable insights into a buyer’s journey.  By acting quickly on these signals, businesses can deliver relevant engagement at the right moment.

You can access the full State of Prospecting 2025, including further insights and expert tips, here.