Trust, Networks, and the New Logic of B2B Growth

Trust has always been the invisible currency of business. Yet in today’s B2B landscape, it has become something far more powerful — the algorithm that determines visibility, credibility, and ultimately, growth.

According to recent research by Forrester (2025), only 3% of B2B firms are truly customer-obsessed. Most organizations are still running playbooks written in the 1990s, chasing marketing-qualified leads instead of understanding how buyers actually buy. The result? 86% of all B2B purchases stall somewhere in the buying process, while buyers — increasingly Millennials and Gen Z decision-makers — grow more frustrated and less confident in their choices.

The root cause is clear: B2B companies are still designing their strategies for a linear funnel, while buyers are navigating dynamic networks of influence, information, and AI-driven discovery.

You can read Forrester’s full report here:
🔗 Buying Networks: Your Buyers’ New Reality — Forrester (2025)

In this new landscape, trust is not just a marketing message — it’s a measurable performance advantage.
Trusted brands close deals faster because they reduce friction in the decision-making process. They become the “safe choice” in complex, multi-stakeholder environments where consensus is hard to build.

Forrester’s latest findings describe a world where buyers are no longer acting alone. Decisions are shaped by buying networks — webs of peers, consultants, analysts, and AI agents all contributing to evaluation and selection. In 2024, 35% of younger buyers reported involving 10 or more external people in their purchase process. By 2025, Forrester predicts that number will reach 50%.

This shift is profound. It means marketers are no longer just speaking to one company or even one team. They’re competing for credibility within an ecosystem.

Forrester calls this evolution “the rise of the buying network” — and it represents a fundamental reframe of value.
The buying group, long considered the core unit of B2B marketing, has expanded. Surrounding that group are layers of influence: customers, partners, industry peers, and now, AI agents that research, compare, and shortlist providers automatically.

These networks don’t just inform purchase decisions — they amplify them. When one node in the network trusts your brand, that trust can ripple outward. When one node loses faith, the entire network shifts.

That’s why in the AI age, the network itself becomes the new gateway to engagement.

The use of generative AI in B2B buying has exploded. Forrester’s 2024 data shows 87% of buyers already use GenAI tools to support their decision-making — and 95% expect to do so even more in the next 12 months.

This doesn’t just change how buyers research; it changes who does the buying.
AI agents can now evaluate performance, pricing, delivery, and even make recommendations or repeat purchases. In other words, businesses must now win the trust of both humans and machines.

That raises a critical strategic question: How does a brand build trust with algorithms?

The answer lies in accessibility and transparency. Companies that make their data, expertise, and credibility signals machine-readable — through structured content, verified reviews, and open information architectures — will become more discoverable in AI-generated shortlists. Those who hide behind opaque messaging will vanish.

Forward-leaning B2B organizations are already adapting. They’re moving beyond lead generation to network activation — strategically engaging not just buyers, but the people and systems that influence buyers.

That means fostering collaboration with analysts, amplifying peer advocacy, and ensuring AI systems have accurate, contextual information about their offerings. It also means rethinking brand measurement: not in terms of impressions or clicks, but in trust velocity — how fast and how far confidence in a brand travels through a network.

In the words of Forrester, this evolution requires a shift from “helping sales sell” to “helping buyers buy.” It’s no longer enough to push value propositions; brands must create value ecosystems.