Building trust when switching from large vendors

The Credibility Gap..................... One of the hardest lessons for vendors to learn is this: the NHS buys trust before it buys technology. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen brilliant solutions dismissed, not because they lacked value, but because they lacked credibility. From the NHS buyer’s perspective, the stakes are enormous. If they choose wrong, patients suffer, clinicians revolt, and budgets get burned. So when a new vendor appears promising “game-changing” results, the default response is suspicion. That’s the credibility gap. Organisations often think they can bridge it with a slick sales deck, a strong demo, or an impressive product roadmap. But the NHS doesn’t want promises — it wants proof. Proof that your solution has worked in environments like theirs. Proof that clinicians have embraced it. Proof that it’s safe, compliant, and scalable. Without that, you’re invisible. The best route forward is usually small. Start with a pilot in one department, one ward, one Trust. Prove your solution works at a local level. Gather data, capture testimonials, and — most importantly — tell the story in NHS language. When you can show that a pilot saved 2,000 hours of clinician time, reduced waiting lists by 8%, or improved staff retention, you shift from “vendor” to “partner.” You’ve closed the credibility gap. The organisations that win don’t just build technology — they build evidence. They build trust by being in the system, learning its rhythms, and showing results that matter. If you’re trying to sell into the NHS today, ask yourself: what’s my credibility story? Can I point to a success that proves I belong here? 👉 What’s been your most powerful case study in selling to the NHS — and how did it open doors for you?

Last week, I got a DM from a prospect we lost back in 2021 😳 I haven’t communicated with this person at all since they decided to go with another vendor. After a 3mo sales cycle, finding out they went with someone else hurt. It hurt even more because I knew who they were going with, and knew it wouldn’t be great. But their objection was something that I had underestimated, and something we still run into. They were burned by another vendor and the heartburn was too much. In this instance, they wanted to go with a bigger, “safer” company. But it isn’t always about company size. The heartburn can come from lots of reasons: another vendor overpromised. They had a bunch of hidden fees. Support sucked. The product is way harder to use than advertised. And, of course, everyone says their company is different and does everything you need. But if you’re a small company operating in a new or suddenly crowded space, how do you build trust when so many companies are disenchanted with your whole industry? 1️⃣ Be differentiated. No, really. You’ve got to have something totally different from the rest and it doesn’t have to be your product. It could be your brand or your pricing model, but you need to stand out. 2️⃣ Preempt the bad vibes by addressing competitors on the first call. Ask the prospect if they’ve looked at other vendors. If they have, come prepared with battle cards. If they haven’t, tell them what they’re likely to see, how you’re different and why it’s better. No smack-talking, just honest differentiation. 3️⃣ Offer something of value beyond the product. Send a (good, human-generated) content link. Offer an intro. Refer them to an adjacent product that might help. 4️⃣ And, for God’s sake, be honest. Sometimes it’s just not a good fit and that’s ok. Overselling will just lead to churn, will torch your business’s reputation and will make sure that person never buys from you again. The good news is that even if you lose the battle, if you build a great product and maintain your reputation, you can still win the war. In a space where trust is hard to earn and easy to lose, consistency and care are what people come back for. I'm confident that I'll hear from this person in the future should the need arise, and leaving a good impression cost me nothing. So, be nice out there! It's free and can pay you back (years later!) in unexpected ways.

"If you are still here in 12 months, let's talk" When growing a SaaS product from 0 to 10, this objection came up daily in sales meetings with SMB owners. It infuriated me. At the time, I didn't have the perspective or reps in the tank to understand this and, more importantly, move into deeper discovery. Behind this line was a single core reason I was getting pushed back. Trust. After some upskilling and knowing how to peel back this objection, I learnt each SMB owner had: 1. Been burnt before by another vendor 2. Seen people enter and leave their market multiple times 3. Were not going to risk their stable business on a new market entrant Here are the 3 approaches I used to open up the discussion and peel back the real reason: 1. "Typically when I hear this from business owners like yourself its because 1 of 3 reasons"... Why it works: Social proof lets them steer the conversation to a key point: you have brought forward the problems. 2. "Look, it's a little unusual, but we are a new business and getting raw feedback on this would be super helpful for me, what's the reason behind the reason here? Be as blunt as possible." Why it works: It's refreshing and shows you aren't here to just get a sale you want to make it in their industry. People naturally want to help. 3. "Fair enough, even if I were to come back in 12 months, what would need to have changed for you to go, 'Sean, looks great, congrats on making it 12 months, let's do this". Why it works: You aren't fighting the objection and are instead putting them into a future state mindset of perfect world, this creates more opportunity for discovery once they explain what they need to see. Often this is where the trust conversation came up and can created a branch to partner this prospect until they were comfortable and trust was built. Finally, as a business, we focused on building trust in the market by: 1. Develop case studies and strong customer testimonials 2. Being visible in industry conferences, EDM's, Associations 3. Building micro commits in the buyers journey process validated by proof of delivery This whole post is a reminder business is about the long game. Hearing “if you’re still here in 12 months” is a great opportunity to put yourself in the shoes of the customer and remember every objection is a chance to build trust, refine your approach, and strengthen relationships. In the long game, that’s how you win. What’s the toughest objection you’ve faced—and how did you handle it?

What if your biggest competitive advantage is hiding in plain sight in your competitors' customer complaints? While most B2B executives chase the latest growth tactics, strategic leaders are systematically mining competitor trust gaps to win enterprise deals. In today's procurement environment, trust isn't just a vendor evaluation criterion—it's become the decisive factor in contract decisions worth millions. The reality of enterprise buying is stark: procurement teams have stopped believing vendor promises. They demand transparency in pricing models, proof of service delivery capabilities, and verification of product claims. Most vendors fake this transparency with polished sales decks and case study theater. The winners convert their competitors' credibility deficits into contract wins. Here's how B2B growth leaders are operationalizing trust to capture enterprise market share: Audit Competitor Credibility Gaps. Deploy systematic analysis of competitor RFP losses, customer churn patterns, and service delivery failures. Every trust breakdown in their client base represents a qualified prospect for your pipeline. Engineer transparency into your sales process. Move beyond vendor presentations. Provide independent verification of ROI claims. Offer transparent pricing with no hidden implementation costs. Make radical honesty your competitive differentiation in the procurement process. Align revenue operations around building trust. Tie sales comp, customer success KPIs, and product delivery SLAs directly to trust-building behaviors. When trust becomes measurable in your CRM and tied to quota attainment, it becomes operationalized. Build enterprise trust intelligence. Create account-level dashboards tracking trust indicators across your target prospect base. Monitor competitor service failures, contract disputes, and client satisfaction scores to time your outreach perfectly. The enterprise opportunity is massive: procurement teams are actively seeking vendors they can trust with mission-critical initiatives. While competitors struggle with credibility issues, you capture their displaced enterprise accounts. Ready to transform competitor weaknesses into enterprise wins? Start with a systematic audit of trust vulnerabilities among your top 50 target accounts. The pipeline impact could be transformational. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRV9sWAK __________ For more on growth and building trust, check out my previous posts. Join me on my journey, and let's build a more trustworthy world together. Christine Alemany #Fintech #Strategy #Growth