Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the current state of sales:
What drives a business to buy from another business?
After 30 years in B2B sales and marketing—from media sales in the pre-Google days to digital strategy across dozens of industries—I’ve seen many sales techniques come and go. Funnels, frameworks, email cadences, lead scoring, you name it. But underneath all of it, the most important influencing factors in a B2B purchase decision haven’t really changed.
When you zoom out to the 30,000-foot view, it boils down to three things:
- Relationship
- Professionalism
- Numbers
If you consistently get these three right, you’ll close more deals, build longer client relationships, and grow faster than your competitors.
Let me break each of them down how I explain it to clients and teams I work with.
1. Relationship: People Buy from People
This one has always been true and always will be. The best product in the world doesn’t matter if the buyer doesn’t trust (or like) the person selling it.
By “relationship,” I don’t mean just being friendly. I mean rapport. Trust. A human connection.
Can the buyer have an honest conversation with your salesperson—not just about features and pricing, but about what’s happening in their business? Can they talk about travel, their kids’ soccer team, or their staffing challenges?
Buyers want to work with people who listen, understand them, and can communicate clearly.
In the early days of my career, I didn’t have a fancy CRM or a bunch of slide decks. I had a notepad, a list of clients, and a phone. And the sales that stuck—the ones that turned into long-term partnerships—were always grounded in trust.
A great relationship will get you in the door and keep you in the room.
👉 Takeaway: Sales teams need more than product knowledge—they need empathy, emotional intelligence, and good conversational instincts. Recruit those skills. Reward those behaviors. They matter more than you think.
2. Professionalism: The Whole Package Matters
Once trust is established with the salesperson, the buyer immediately turns to a second question:
“Is there a real company behind this person?”
That’s where professionalism comes in.
It’s not just about how your rep dresses or speaks (though that matters, too). It’s about the total experience the buyer has with your brand. Do your proposal decks look buttoned up? Is your website helpful and clear? Do your emails feel like humans or bots wrote them?
I’ve seen more than a few good deals go sideways because the brand behind the salesperson didn’t feel reliable.
Buyers want to feel like they’re making a smart, safe, and supported decision. They’re looking for signals:
- Is this an honest company with real values?
- Are their tools, processes, and people aligned?
- Do they show up consistently and professionally across every touchpoint?
👉 Takeaway: Salespeople represent your brand but can’t carry it alone. The company has to show up just as strong. Clean up your materials. Align your messaging. And give your reps the professional support they need to inspire confidence.
3. The Numbers: ROI Still Closes the Deal
Once trust and professionalism are established, the buyer needs something solid to take to their team or CFO:
“Why does this make sense on paper?”
This is where many B2B sellers either shine—or stall out.
Because it’s not about price. It’s about value. Can you clearly show the business impact of what you’re offering?
- If you’re selling marketing services: How do you define customer acquisition? What’s the return?
- If you’re building software: What costs are reduced, or what new revenue is created?
- If you’re offering consulting: What process gets improved, and by how much?
You’d be surprised how many sales conversations stall here—not because the solution isn’t good, but because the seller can’t quantify it. They don’t bring the proof, or they make the buyer do all the math themselves.
You need data. You need case studies. And you need to make it easy for the buyer to see the before and after.
👉 Takeaway: Equip your sales team with numbers they can use—real-world metrics, simple calculators, short case examples. Don’t bury them in PDFs. Give them the tools to show, not just tell.
Final Thought: Buyers Are Tired of Funnels and Gimmicks
In today’s B2B landscape, I think many of us feel a little overwhelmed. Every day there’s a new sales tool, a new funnel, a new “growth hack.” But I’ll tell you what—buyers are starting to tune all that out.
They’re leaning back into word-of-mouth. They want peer recommendations. They want to talk to real people.
If you’re a small B2B company trying to grow, my best advice is this:
Go old school.
Build the relationship.
Back it up with real professionalism.
And make sure your numbers speak for themselves.
It’s not flashy. But it works.
And in the long run, businesses that play the long game will consistently outperform those chasing shortcuts.
Want help building a smarter B2B marketing strategy that reflects these principles?
That’s what I do. You can book a call with me here.