Trust: The Currency That Powers B2B Sales

"Our latest global research with Ipsos, based on surveying nearly 900 B2B buyers across seven global markets, reveals a striking contradiction: Buyers are more informed than ever, yet deals are harder to close and trust is harder to establish. In fact, 86% of buyers say seller expertise is the top driver of trust, yet less than half (45%) actually trust the sellers they engage with."

"Today's buyers are making decisions in environments that are more complex than ever: buying cycles are longer, committees are bigger and the stakes keep rising. According to our research, 87% of buyers say their buying cycles have stretched by at least three weeks. But here's the twist: More than half of companies have increased their budgets for B2B products and services. So yes, deals are more scrutinized and take longer, but when your sales team wins, those deals are often bigger and more valuable."

Buyers now perform deep due diligence using AI to weigh pros and cons, analyze proposals, and fact-check claims before engaging sales teams. AI-driven research narrows option sets and shapes first impressions, increasing buyer skepticism and noise. Seller expertise is the primary driver of trust, yet fewer than half of buyers actually trust sellers they contact. Buying cycles have lengthened—87% report cycles stretched by at least three weeks—and purchasing committees are larger, raising stakes. Many companies have increased B2B budgets, so won deals tend to be larger and more valuable. Sales teams must prioritize demonstrating expertise and building trust to close deals.

Read at Forbes