The brand crisis that’s lengthening your sales cycle

The TL;DRAre you struggling to build trust with your buyers? Allyson Havener (TrustRadius) and Mark Huber (UserEvidence) break down the B2B buying disconnect between buyers and marketing and sales efforts—including some helpful tips to apply to your own marketing strategy to help close that gap. What’s working in B2B marketing:DATA-BACKED PROOF Original research and transparent data are key to building credibility and trust with skeptical buyers who are demanding upfront pricing and product claims before purchasing.What’s not working in B2B marketing:SUGAR-COATED "PROOF" Focusing too much on traditional bottom-funnel tactics without addressing what buyers genuinely want reduces trust and transparency. Pushing overly optimistic marketing narratives without real proof causes buyer mistrust. (And can ultimately lead to decision-making paralysis.)Grab TrustRadius’ original research report Grab UserEvidence’s original research report The Evidence GapKey Takeaways:Address the disconnect between B2B buyers and sellers: There’s a significant gap between what buyers want and how sellers and marketers approach them. Buyers prioritize upfront pricing, peer reviews, and minimal sales pressure, while vendors often overlook these preferences.Trust is critical in the sales process: B2B buyers are skeptical, especially with the influx of tech options. Transparent communication, real customer evidence, and accurate ROI data is crucial to overcoming buyer hesitation.Original research fuels effective marketing strategies: Both TrustRadius and UserEvidence used their research reports as the cornerstone for content creation, social proof, and marketing messaging—illustrating how data-driven insights can shape a year’s worth of marketing materials.Brand trust is key in narrowing choices: Buyers typically start their search with 2-3 potential vendors and often stick with their original choice, underscoring the importance of establishing brand trust early in the buyer’s journey.Align marketing and sales for deal acceleration: In complex B2B sales, particularly with large enterprises, aligning sales and marketing strategies is essential to shorten the sales cycle and ensure consistent messaging across all touchpoints.Things to listen for:(00:00) Welcome to the show(01:20) How data fuels marketing strategies(06:22) The B2B brand trust crisis(07:57) Disconnect between buyer expectations and vendors(10:33) Buyers, sellers, marketers are not on same page(12:20) Buyers’ demand for upfront pricing, not secrecy(13:29) Buyer preference: Peer reviews over pushy sales(23:13) Why do buyers stick with original vendor choice?