Challenges in building buyer trust today

One of the biggest reasons deals stall isn’t that buyers doubt your solution—it’s that they doubt their ability to make the right choice. Matt Dixon's research for The JOLT Effect found that 40% of lost deals are driven by customer indecision, not preference for a competitor. And Brent Adamson's new book The Framemaking Sale highlights that customers with high decision confidence are TEN TIMES more likely to make a purchase. Here are a few ways you can help buyers build confidence in themselves: 1. Reduce Decision Complexity According to Gartner, 77% of B2B buyers report their last purchase was “very complex or difficult." Streamlining options, providing decision guides, or recommending a clear best-fit reduces “analysis paralysis” and gives buyers confidence they aren’t missing something. 2. Reframe Risk in Personal Terms Buyers often fear personal blame more than organizational failure. Use case studies and peer validation to show how people in their role succeeded—helping them feel safe and supported in their choice. 3. Provide Buyer Enablement Tools Tools like ROI calculators, pre-built board decks, or checklists reduce the burden on them and demonstrate that they have what they need to decide. 4. Normalize Their Concerns The JOLT Effect also emphasizes “normalizing indecision” as a critical skill—buyers need to know hesitation is common and that you can guide them through it. Framing uncertainty as a normal step in the process reduces the shame that often delays action. 5. Signal Post-Decision Support Harvard Business Review highlights that buyers who see strong post-sale support are more confident in making initial commitments. Show them the path forward—onboarding, customer success, peer communities—so they know they won’t be left alone after purchase. Helping buyers feel personally confident and protected is as important as proving your product’s value. The most successful marketers and sellers don’t just build confidence in the solution—they build confidence in the decision-maker.

Moody’s just downgraded the U.S. credit rating. That’s not just a financial headline—it’s a signal. When the world’s most trusted borrower no longer gets top marks, risk perception shifts everywhere. Buyers are watching. Leaders are hesitating. The burden of proof is rising. In this climate, your contracts are not just legal tools—they're strategic assets. They either speed up the deal or slow it down. Build confidence or introduce doubt. Signal clarity or raise questions. If your deal velocity is dropping, ask yourself: Are our terms transparent enough to accelerate trust? Can a decision-maker understand our contracts without legal translation? Do our agreements reflect fairness, not just protection? Because the companies still closing deals right now? They’ve eliminated friction. They’ve moved clarity to the front of the funnel. And they’re treating contract terms like go-to-market assets—not legal leftovers. Here's the shift to make: Stop optimizing for negotiation leverage. Start optimizing for trust. Stop hiding behind complexity. Start signaling fairness. Stop assuming your standard terms are good enough. Certify them. Buyers don’t have time for ambiguity. And in this market, hesitation is expensive. If you're responsible for growth, revenue, legal, or procurement—it’s time to lead with clarity. Because the companies that move and adjust are the ones that win. Everyone else is just watching the rates rise. #Contracts #DealAcceleration #B2BStrategy -------- 🚀 Olga V. Mack 🔹 Building trust in commerce, contracts & products 🔹 Sales acceleration advocate 🔹 Keynote Speaker | AI & Business Strategist 📩 Let’s connect & collaborate 📰 Subscribe to Notes to My (Legal) Self

Superior technology usually loses to trust deficits. The NewCos who win understand this deeply. LegacyCos provide coverage - decades of embedded relationships, compliance infrastructure, institutional safety. NewCos provide velocity - direct paths to outcomes without legacy constraints. Enterprise buyers increasingly ask: "Will this deliver outcomes fast?" and "Can I justify this choice?" LegacyCos excel at the second. NewCos must excel at both. The solution isn't copying LegacyCo's relationship playbook. It's building trust infrastructure optimized for a high clockspeed world. The Trust Ceiling Trust deficits create velocity ceilings regardless of technology quality. This is structural, not situational. Your product solves problems 10x faster, but if buyers don't trust delivery, speed becomes irrelevant. NewCos must engineer trust through domain expertise and proven outcomes - without institutional baggage. The NewCo Playbook: Wedge and Expand Today's mega-deals are fragmenting into smaller, milestone-driven projects. This creates opportunities LegacyCos are too expensive and slow to pursue effectively. Your strategy isn't competing on massive transformations. It's winning wedges and expanding from strength. Domain Expert Credibility Hire thought leaders who understand enterprise needs but aren't tied to legacy delivery models. Import domain knowledge, not institutional constraints. Champion-Led Wedge Entry Embed with operational teams before procurement involvement. Find specific pain points where speed matters more than coverage. Example: You deliver working inventory optimization in 30 days, reducing costs 15%. LegacyCo proposes 12-month workflow optimization before any results. The Speed Advantage LegacyCos take 12 months because they're carrying decades of institutional process. You take 3 months because you're purpose-built for outcomes. This speed differential compounds: - Faster implementation → faster results → stronger references - Wedge wins → adjacent problems → organic expansion - Proven outcomes → higher trust → shortened sales cycles The Readiness Test: Before entering any market → Do you have domain experts who'll publicly endorse your approach? → Can you name three specific wedges where your speed beats their coverage? → Do you have proof points of 3x faster outcomes than traditional approaches? If yes, you have trust infrastructure built for velocity. If no, you're just another vendor. The Choice Enterprise buyers increasingly prefer fast wins over comprehensive coverage. You can build trust infrastructure optimized for velocity, or watch superior technology stall in trust deficit. In enterprise markets: speed without trust stalls; trust without speed stagnates. The network rewards companies that understand both realities. (Full version sent to newsletter subscribers)

Why great software loses deals and what actually wins them? It’s easy to assume it comes down to features or price. But most of the time, it’s everything around your product that pushes buyers toward a competitor. Here’s what really goes wrong from first touch to final sales call: 1. You’re not showing up early enough. Buyers start researching long before they talk to sales. If you’re not showing up where they search (Google, review sites, peer communities), you’re invisible during the shortlisting phase. 2. Your positioning is vague. You're trying to be everything to everyone. So when your ideal buyer lands on your site, they can’t immediately tell: “This is built for me.” 3. Your messaging is generic. Too many buzzwords. Not enough clarity. If you can’t explain the unique value you deliver in 10 seconds or less, the buyer moves on. 4. Your pricing isn’t transparent. If your pricing is hidden or too complex, buyers assume it’s expensive or not worth figuring out. Meanwhile, your competitor just showed them a clean, simple pricing page. 5. Your reputation is weak. Buyers look for social proof. Case studies. Reviews. Trusted logos. If your competitor has them and you don’t, they feel safer going with the “proven” option. 6. Your demo is underwhelming. Buyers want to see their problems solved. If your sales team walks through a generic demo that doesn’t feel personalized, they disengage. 7. You don’t make it easy to buy. Too many steps. Too many stakeholders. Too much friction. B2B buyers are busy, they reward vendors who make the process smooth and fast. 8. You’re not addressing risk. Fear kills deals. If you’re not proactively tackling concerns around implementation, ROI, integration, or support, the safer choice wins. 9. Your team isn’t aligned. Marketing promises one thing. Sales says another. Customer success tells a third story. Misalignment breaks trust.

Over the last 13+ years of running B2B demand generation programs, one truth stands out: the biggest challenge in our industry isn’t budgets, competition or even technology. It’s TRUST. Too often, I hear marketing leaders say: “We’ve tried vendors before, but nothing converted.” “The data looked great until we actually used it.” “We’re cautious now as it’s hard to know who to trust.” And honestly, I don’t blame them. The industry has made it too easy to overpromise and underdeliver. Quick wins, outsourced data and a “spray and pray” approach have left scars that make buyers hesitant to believe the next pitch. For us at S2W Media rebuilding that trust starts with a different mindset: Building first-party data over years, not buying lists overnight Being transparent on what we can (and cannot) deliver Treating every program as a partnership, not a transaction Trust isn’t a campaign. It’s earned over time through consistency, honesty and results that stand on their own. I genuinely believe the future of B2B will belong to the companies that put trust back at the center of how they operate. #B2BMarketing #Trust #FirstPartyData #ABM #DemandGeneration #S2WMedia #B2B #Sales

Building Trust from Day One: The Cost of Starting Sales Relationships with Lies vs. Proper Qualification In today's competitive sales landscape, the temptation to oversell or misrepresent capabilities to get a foot in the door is ever-present. But is this short-term gain worth the long-term pain? Let's explore why starting with honesty and proper qualification creates stronger client relationships and better business outcomes. The False Promise Trap We've all seen it happen: A sales rep so eager to close that they promise the moon, knowing full well their solution can only deliver a small asteroid. While this approach might secure that initial meeting or even the first sale, it sets up both parties for disappointment. When sales begin with misrepresentation, several negative outcomes are virtually guaranteed: Erosion of trust once the truth emerges Client resentment and damaged reputation Wasted resources servicing poor-fit clients High customer churn and negative reviews Team burnout from managing unsatisfied clients The Qualification Alternative Contrast this with a qualification-focused approach. When sales professionals take time to properly qualify prospects, they: Identify genuine needs that match their solution's capabilities Set realistic expectations from the first interaction Build relationships based on mutual value and honesty Focus resources on prospects with the highest success potential Create a foundation for long-term partnership rather than one-off transactions The ROI of Honesty Beyond the ethical considerations, there's a compelling business case for starting relationships with honesty. Properly qualified clients typically: Have higher lifetime value Require less customer support Provide more referrals Become advocates for your brand Renew and expand their business with you Practical Steps to Improve Qualification Develop clear ideal customer profiles based on your most successful clients Create a structured qualification framework (budget, authority, need, timeline) Train teams to ask insightful discovery questions Reward quality of fit over volume of deals Document and share qualification success stories The Courage to Walk Away Perhaps the most challenging aspect of proper qualification is having the courage to walk away from opportunities that aren't a good fit. This requires confidence in your value proposition and trust that better-fit opportunities will come. Remember: Every poor-fit client you pursue takes time away from finding and serving ideal clients who will value your solution & become long-term partners. The most successful sales professionals don't see qualification as a barrier to sales but as the foundation of meaningful business relationships built on mutual benefit and trust. #SalesStrategy #BusinessEthics #ClientRelationships #QualificationProcess #TrustInSales #B2BSales #SalesLeadership #CustomerSuccess #SalesAuthenticity #RelationshipSelling #CIO #CISO #CTO #Entrepreneur #startups #telecom #HOA

🛑 Only 18% of people trust salespeople. 😬 85% of B2B buyers already know what they want before talking to you. If you're losing leads… this might be why. I run a B2B lead generation agency. And in 2025, I’ve realized this: 👉 We’re not just selling. 👉 We’re earning trust before the first call. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, only 18% of 32,000 global respondents trust sales reps when they say, “We’re here to help.” Why? Overhyped ads with tiny disclaimers Scandals like Theranos and FTX Data leaks that made the news Buyers have seen it all. Today’s B2B Buyer is Different: 📌 85% define their requirements before they contact a vendor (Gartner) 📌 Only 9% trust your website (G2) 📌 They don't need more offers — they need more reasons to believe 4 Proven Ways to Build Trust (And Get the Lead) 1. Be Transparent → Show pricing, limitations, and who isn’t a fit → One SaaS client added a “What We Don’t Do” page — email open rates jumped 25% 2. Educate Instead of Pitching → 83% of B2B buyers say helpful content builds trust (Lead Forensics) → One client grew lead flow 40% via consistent LinkedIn posts (no funnels) 3. Personalize With AI → 71% expect B2C-level experiences even in B2B (HubSpot) → AI-personalized campaigns lifted conversion by 15% for a recent client (McKinsey) 4. Use LinkedIn (Properly) → 89% of marketers use it for lead gen → 78% of social sellers outperform their peers (LinkedIn) → For us, it’s still the #1 platform for building credibility with B2B buyers Trust = Pipeline If they don’t trust you, they won’t talk to you. If they don’t believe you, they won’t buy from you. You’re not just selling solutions — You’re proving you’re safe to bet on. 💡 Want more B2B leads this year? DM me or comment below: What’s your biggest challenge with building trust? Let’s turn doubt into deals. #B2BSales #LeadGeneration #B2BMarketing #TrustMatters #LinkedInMarketing #SalesLeadership #2025Sales #OutboundThatWorks #AgencyGrowth

Vendors cut brand budgets. Buyers only pick familiar names. See the problem? This disconnect, uncovered in the recent TrustRadius research, hurts brands outside of the top 3. • 78% of buyers pick products they'd heard of before starting research (86% for enterprise buyers) • 90% choose a vendor they already knew before the buying process began. • 81% have a preferred vendor before talking to any sales rep. Translation: If buyers don't know you exist, you've already lost. Companies need to get out of the short-term mindset, chasing bottom-funnel conversions to hit quarterly goals... while buyers make shortlists based on top-of-mind awareness. You can't convert someone who never thinks of you. How B2B vendors must adapt: 1. Match buyer behavior: Build brand awareness and familiarity early and often to hit their radar before they even start looking. 2. Track your brand impact: Regularly measure awareness, preference, and perception to know if you're winning mindshare or losing ground.

Would you ask someone to marry you after one coffee? No. You’d: → Go on a few more dates → Spend time getting to know them → Make sure the vibe (and values) actually match Your clients are no different. They may not say “yes” after one post or one DM. But most coaches and consultants forget this... And then wonder why leads stay stuck in “maybe.” Your first post is not the proposal. Your first DM is not the deal. It takes time to build buying trust. What it actually takes to build buying trust: The 3-7-15 Rule 3+ hours of engagement (content, calls, DMs) 7+ interactions with your ideas or offers 15+ moments of visibility and value If you're skipping steps, you're leaving money on the table. Here’s how I build trust before the sell: → Content positions the problem I solve → DMs build a genuine connection → Free workshops deepen belief The offer becomes the obvious next step If they don’t know you, like you, or trust you They won’t buy from you. No matter how good your offer is. Track every touchpoint in folk 🟢 New 🟡 Follow-Up 🔴 Closed Lost 🟣 Closed Won Because trust isn’t built in one message. It’s built over time and tracked with intention. Want more clients saying yes? Build the trust they need to get there.