B2B Buyers Have Always Done Due Diligence. What Changed Is Who They Trust.

For years, I’ve used the same chart in conversations with clients. It shows that by the time a buyer first contacts a supplier, roughly 57% of their due diligence is already complete.

This research comes from the Corporate Executive Board and Forrester, and while the exact percentage gets debated, the core point never has been.

B2B buyers don’t start learning when they talk to you.They start long before that.

This idea isn’t new. What is new is what happens inside that early learning phase, and why it matters more than ever for professional services firms.

Due Diligence Was Always Part of the B2B Buyer Process

B2B buyers have always done their homework. Even ten or fifteen years ago, they:

• Researched firms online

• Asked peers for recommendations

• Read case studies and credentials

• Narrowed a shortlist before reaching out

The difference wasn’t whether due diligence happened. It was how much influence firms still had once conversations began.

Back then, first contact often was the start of real education. Firms could shape the narrative, explain their point of view, and differentiate themselves live. That window has narrowed.

What Changed Isn’t the Process. It’s the Inputs

Today’s buyers don’t just research differently. They trust different signals.

Before they ever contact a firm, buyers now:

• Ask AI who the “best” firms are

• Read third-party commentary and analysis

• Scan LinkedIn to assess expertise and credibility

• Observe how consistently a firm shows up with insight

Much of this happens anonymously. Quietly. Without intent signals.

Which means by the time a buyer reaches out, they often aren’t asking:

“Can you help us?”

They’re asking:

“Are you who we already think you are?”

That’s a very different starting point.

Why 57% Is Probably the Wrong Number Now

The original research suggested buyers were about halfway through their journey before first contact.

In practice today, that number is likely much higher. Especially for complex, high-trust professional services.

Not because buyers suddenly became more analytical. But because:

• Information is easier to access

• Opinions form faster

• Confidence is built earlier

First contact increasingly serves as confirmation, not discovery.

And that has a major implication most firms underestimate.

The Most Dangerous Stage Is the One You Can’t See

Due diligence used to be visible.

You could see RFPs.You could track outreach.You could tell when you were being evaluated.

Now, much of the most important evaluation happens before you ever appear on the radar.

Firms don’t lose because they’re bad.They lose because they’re filtered out early silently.

By the time they’re contacted, they may already be second choice. Or third. Or simply being used as a benchmark. The pipeline might look quiet.The decision, meanwhile, is already forming elsewhere.

Visibility Isn’t Marketing Anymore. It’s Risk Management

For years, visibility was treated as optional.

Helpful, maybe. Nice to have. But not essential if referrals were strong. That mindset is increasingly risky.

Today, visibility functions less like promotion and more like insurance:

• Insurance against being overlooked

• Insurance against being miscategorized

• Insurance against competitors shaping the narrative for you

The firms that win now don’t shout louder.

They:

• Show up consistently with insight

• Teach instead of pitch

• Build credibility before conversations begin

They don’t wait for buyers to engage before earning trust.

What Winning B2B Firms Understand

The most effective B2B firms I see today understand something subtle but powerful:

B2B buyers were always doing due diligence.What changed is who they trust while doing it.

That trust is now built through:

• Clarity, not claims

• Consistency, not campaigns

• Earned authority, not self-promotion

The B2B firms that adapt to this don’t just win more deals.

They enter conversations already trusted...which changes everything that follows.

A Final Thought

If B2B buyers are completing most of their due diligence before they ever speak with you, the real question isn’t whether your firm is good.

It’s whether your firm is shaping what buyers learn before they decide.