There is a conversation happening about you before you are ever in the room.

Before your next prospect picks up the phone, they have probably already typed your name into ChatGPT. They have looked at what comes up. They have formed an opinion. And they have moved on to the next thing on their list.

That is the new first impression. And most people have no idea what it looks like.

In this episode, Monique de Maio unpacks what the data is actually telling us about how B2B buyers make decisions in 2026 and what it means for how you show up. She shares the story of a cybersecurity CEO whose consistent thought leadership content became part of how an acquiring company assessed him, not just his pitch deck, but his published point of view. And she gives you seven moves you can make starting this week.

The stat that drives this conversation: 94% of B2B buyers are now using generative AI somewhere in their buying process. LinkedIn has gone from the 11th to the 1st most-cited domain for professional AI search queries in a matter of months. And if your content could belong to anyone, an AI system will treat it that way.

In this episode:

→ Why buyers are meeting AI before they meet you, and what AI is saying

→ How LinkedIn became the #1 source for professional AI citations

→ The cybersecurity CEO who was acquired, in part, because of what he published

→ Why vague content has become invisible and specific content gets cited

→ How your newsletter may now be building an AI signal with your prospects

→ Seven moves to improve your visibility starting this week

Different is better than better. This episode is about what that looks like in the AI era.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Different is better than better: Monique's foundational principle

01:24 - The stat that changes everything: 94% of B2B buyers use AI in their buying process

02:22 - LinkedIn is now the #1 AI-cited domain for professional queries

03:21 - Stop measuring rankings. Start measuring citations.

04:19 - How to reverse-engineer your content from the questions buyers are actually asking

05:37 - Google AI Overviews: 48% of all searches, and climbing

07:08 - The newsletter-as-AI-signal: Google's Personal Intelligence feature explained

08:31 - The cybersecurity CEO who got acquired, in part, because of his content

09:27 - Vague is out. Specific wins. Here is what that looks like.

11:34 - AI can tell the difference between lived experience and recycled research

13:26 - Seven moves for visibility in the AI era

15:50 - If your content could belong to anyone, it belongs to no one

ABOUT MONIQUE

Author. Speaker. Strategic Navigator.

Monique de Maio helps women leaders and organizations move from chaos to clarity, in business and in life. Founder of OnDemandCMO and an active CMO, Monique brings more than 30 years of marketing and leadership experience across global brands, Wall Street, nonprofit, and publishing.

As host of the Possibilities with Monique de Maio podcast, Monique explores the real conversations behind growth, reinvention, and decision-making. Through her Strategic Navigator work, she applies the same rigor used in business strategy to help women think clearly about their careers, wellness, and life design.

Follow Monique for More Possibilities:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moniquedemaio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquedemaio

Newsletter: https://www.moniquedemaio.com/newsletter-sign-up

Book Monique as a speaker: https://www.moniquedemaio.com/contact

Grab her award-winning, bestselling book The 7 Secrets to Creating a Life You Love: A Practical Guide for Women in Leadership:

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Creating-Life-You-Love/dp/B0CLHV526G

Referenced in this episode:

EP108: When AI Rewards Good Marketing