Key Takeaways
- Seismic’s research found that most B2B leaders trust human guidance over AI-generated content when the two are in conflict.
- The findings suggest sellers create more value when they clarify ROI, risk and tradeoffs rather than simply provide information.
A report from go-to-market (GTM) performance company Seismic examines what C-suite buyers need to make confident enterprise technology decisions and how GTM organizations can better equip sellers to meet that standard.
The New Go-to-Market Standard for B2B Selling research finds that while AI gives buyers unprecedented access to information, it has made enterprise buying more complicated. Decisions now involve more stakeholders, greater scrutiny and more competing inputs, raising the value of human judgment in the buying process.
In fact, three in four leaders say they trust human guidance more when it conflicts with AI-generated content, while 46% say AI-generated information has made them more reliant on people in high-stakes decisions. What’s more, 34% rely on a vendor representative or human expert to validate claims they encountered elsewhere.
Why Human Judgment Still Carries More Weight Than AI In B2B Buying
Rob Pinkerton, Chief Marketing Officer, Seismic, observed that AI has made information abundant, but buyers still need help deciding what matters.
“This is creating a selling renaissance, where sellers play an increasingly important role and earn trust by helping buyers make sense of complexity, navigate tradeoffs and reach decisions they can defend,” said Pinkerton in a statement.
Seismic Research Shows Sellers Play A Bigger Role In High-Stakes Decisions
As buyers turn to AI for research, comparison and information-gathering, they are relying more on sellers to decipher that information when a purchase decision is on the line. The research found 55% of respondents rely on a vendor representative or human expert when negotiating pricing or contract terms. Other notable findings from the report include:
- Nearly half (49%) turn to people to assess ROI or business-case fit
- 45% rely on human expertise to understand risk and potential downsides.
- More than two in five respondents say they rely on a vendor representative or human expert to interpret how a solution applies to their specific situation.
When buyers can research products and compare options on their own, value increasingly comes from understanding the customer’s business, making the economics clear and helping stakeholders navigate the tradeoffs behind a decision. More than half of leaders (51%) say sellers could guide them more effectively by explaining and quantifying ROI, underscoring how the role is moving from delivering information to helping buyers act on it.
“The higher the stakes, the more buyers turn to people,” Pinkerton said. “That raises the bar for every seller to deliver consistent, sound judgment. GTM teams need to make great seller performance repeatable by connecting trusted information, customer context and guidance in the flow of work, so every seller can act with confidence in the moments that matter.”
The full report is available on Seismic’s website.
