About this episode

AJ Vaughan discusses why most HR tech deals are lost before procurement, emphasizing the importance of understanding buyer behavior and strategic empathy.

In this episode of The E1B2 Collective Sunday Brief, AJ Vaughan breaks down a hard truth: most HR tech deals aren’t lost in procurement—they’re lost long before that. Drawing from 80+ monthly conversations with HR leaders, this session challenges the outdated playbook of outbound, inbound, and surface-level demos, and replaces it with a research-driven, relationship-first model built on what AJ calls strategic empathy . At the core of this conversation: Why most AEs fundamentally misunderstand how HR leaders actually buy The gap between product knowledge and real operational understanding How poor GTM strategy is quietly driving churn, layoffs, and missed revenue Why partnerships—not pipelines—are the new growth engine What it really takes to meet HR leaders at the right time, in the right place This is a direct message to AEs, revenue leaders, and founders. If you’re not grounded in real buyer behavior, real context, and real timing, you’re guessing. And in this market, guessing is expensive. This is Pulse HR.

People in this episode

Host: AJ Vaughan

Topics covered

• HR technology
• sales strategy
• buyer behavior
• strategic empathy
• go-to-market strategy
• revenue growth

Keywords

• HR tech
• sales
• AEs
• procurement
• buyer behavior
• strategic empathy
• GTM strategy
• revenue
• churn
• partnerships

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The E1B2 Collective, HR

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