Building trust with small vendors during due diligence

One bad conversation can stall a deal.  (Let's fix that.) Here's the trap even the best can fall into: ✅ You said, “Can I get 15 minutes?” ❌ They heard, “You’re just a name on my calendar.” ✅ You said, “Here’s our pricing page.” ❌ They heard, “You’d better be ready to commit.” ✅ You said, “Do you have any questions?” ❌ They heard, “I’m done talking, it's your turn to buy.” In client development, tone is strategy. And the difference between pressure and partnership? Just a few words. Because the real challenge isn’t getting time  with a client. It’s making that time count. Here are 12 proven phrases to build trust  (without sounding like a sales rep): 1. “How have things been going with [X]?” → Feels personal, not transactional. 2. “What’s your thinking around [this topic] these days?” → Opens a door, not a pitch. 3. “What would success look like if everything went right?” → Focuses on their goals, not gaps. 4. “What’s one thing you’d love to improve in 90 days?” → Specific, hopeful, and actionable. 5. “What feels risky or fuzzy about this?” → Makes doubt safe to share. 6. “Want to sketch some options together?” → Co-creates instead of prescribes. 7. “Want me to mock up a few paths forward?” → Shows flexibility, not a fixed pitch. 8. “Want to hear how others tackled this?” → Adds value, zero pressure. 9. “What would need to shift to make this a priority?” → Respects their timeline, invites partnership. 10. “Would a custom version be more helpful?” → Tailors the next step to them. 11. “Great point, can we unpack that together?” → Builds trust through collaboration. 12. “What’s the best way I can support you right now?” → Puts their needs first, signals partnership. These phrases do more than sound better. They feel better. Because they reflect how great BD actually works: 👉 With empathy 👉 With curiosity 👉 With clients, not at them Try one this week. It could turn a stalled deal into a deep conversation. Which one will you lead with? 📌Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies  that don’t feel like selling.

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.

I cannot overstate the amount of counterparty risk that you, as a buyer, take on when you’re buying a small to medium-sized business. In post-LOI due diligence, I strongly recommend requesting (or requiring) an in-person dinner with the seller and their spouse (if they have one). Share a meal with them where you can sit across the table and look them straight in the eye. The purpose of this is less about interrogating them and more about building rapport. If you’re utilizing SBA financing to buy your business, chances are you’re potentially taking out a 7-figure SBA loan that has a personal guaranty attached to it. It completely blows my mind when buyers play fast and loose, waiting until close to the end of the process to meet the seller. Things I’ve directly seen before and/or know people within 1 to 2 degrees of separation who have experienced: • Straight-up fraud in financials • Understating employee compensation • Omission of key information leading to litigation after closing At the end of the day, as a buyer, you want to buy a good business from a good person. There are tons of bad apples out there. Diligence your seller. CCAP them — look up their court records. Hunt for them on social media. Do your diligence.