When I was a buyer for Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and Frito-Lay for 18 years, I was pitched to death. It was really hard to earn my trust – I’d seen a thousand pitches and was jaded, just like all my colleagues. Breaking a buyer’s trust with your content, messaging, and marketing is actually super easy. A trust marketing index survey by tech company Informa concluded that 71% of B2B buyers are disappointed with the value of the content they’re receiving. That’s almost three quarters. This disappointment is turning into lost sales because disappointed buyers ignore your messages, which means you can’t get in the door to buyer meetings. It’s wasted millions on messaging and marketing that simply isn’t working because it breaks buyer trust.

Generic Content Kills Trust Faster Than Anything Else

The first thing that broke my trust immediately was “I do everything for everyone.” If you’re not niched, not a specialist in one thing, one industry, or one problem, it’s really hard for me to take you seriously. In fact, 42% of buyers said content was too generic. Your elevator pitch, website copy, pitch emails, and pitch decks all talk to everyone about everything, claiming you solve multiple problems for multiple industries and company sizes. That never worked for me, and it’s obviously still not working. When you don’t look like an expert in anything specific, you’re generic. Instead of saying “I’m a leadership coach,” say “I’m a decision-making coach in the manufacturing industry.” That’s exactly what one of my clients and I re-niched her into, and it made all the difference.

Don’t Be “Me Too” – Differentiate or Die

The second way to break buyer trust is being me too – saying and doing exactly what everybody else in your industry is doing. Most companies without a real marketing strategy are clueless about what to say to reach clients. So their emails, voicemails, and scripts are exactly what they used at another company. The problem? 86% of buyers can’t tell the difference between two suppliers doing the same thing. You look and sound the same as everybody else. I teach differentiation two ways: one, super niche by addressing a specific industry’s specific pain point. Or two, personal branding – owning a brand character that’s very different and distinct. Take the mortgage mom – she’s like your mom who knows exactly what you need for a mortgage, and nobody forgets her. When you’re me too, you blend in and lose buyer trust because they won’t grant you a meeting. I constantly get targeted for “lead gen expert for coaches” ads – every other Instagram story is the same pitch with flashy houses or leather jackets. The ones actually getting traction? Very niched, very targeted, doing one thing for one industry only.

Selling in Your Content Breaks Trust Instantly

The third thing breaking buyer trust is selling in your content. The reason you create content is to gain trust and educate, not to directly sell. A third of buyers stop trusting when the sales pitch comes first. Avoid bait and switch tactics. For example, here’s how I do my presentations it: I show case studies of people in the same pain in the same industry and how I helped them overcome it. I don’t give prospects the complete how – I give them top lines of what the problem is, how to overcome it, and what the result is of working together. I provide fresh data every week and demo constantly on stages, podcasts, and virtual summits. When I finish, I include a lowkey sales pitch: “If you want help with your marketing strategy, here’s how to reach me.” Make it easy for people to contact you next. Confused minds can’t find you, can’t buy from you. Transparency works. I use popups asking for a call to action: come talk if you want more help on that topic.

Rub Shoulders With Giants to Build Buyer Trust

Finally, interview thought leaders in your industry and be seen with them. Name drop, name drop, name drop – trust increases when you interview known thought leaders and share content around education and fresh research. Get into industry publications if you can. My clients do interview marketing, publishing in channels these buyers are reading and networking in. Be on their podcasts, be in their LinkedIn groups, be in industry publications. It’s an amazing win-win.

I’m a messaging coach because I’ve had my trust broken with bad, salesy, confused, and generic messaging for 18 years. I’m here to stop that from happening to you.

Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on X, friend me on Facebook,watch my Podcast onYouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.