Three Key Shifts Every Small Business Owner Needs to Understand
At our recent Local Link – Events | Networking | Connect Melbourne event, we were joined by Susan Canny, Key Account Director – LinkedIn Sales Solutions APAC, who shared insights from LinkedIn’s latest global research into buyer behavior, sales performance and artificial intelligence.
While much of the discussion centered around AI, the session wasn’t really about technology. It was about people.
Specifically, how people research, evaluate and make decisions in a world where information has never been more accessible. The research highlighted three major shifts currently reshaping business development and sales:
- Buyers are more informed than ever.
- AI is becoming part of every buying decision.
- Trust is emerging as the ultimate competitive advantage.
For business owners, leaders and professionals, understanding these shifts will be critical in the years ahead.
Shift One: Buyers Are More Informed Than Ever
The way people buy has fundamentally changed.
According to LinkedIn’s research, buying groups now average more than 11 stakeholders. At the same time, sales cycles are becoming longer, customer acquisition costs continue to rise and response rates remain challenging.
Buyers are also doing significantly more research before engaging with suppliers.
Research presented during the session showed that 75% of buyers use social media to research suppliers before making contact. Buyers are receiving substantially more communication than ever before, while the average buyer tenure has fallen to approximately 1.1 years.
Think about your own purchasing behaviour. Before contacting a provider, most of us will visit their website, review their LinkedIn profile, search for reviews, ask for recommendations or seek out independent information.
Our customers are doing exactly the same thing.
The reality is that many buying decisions are being influenced long before a conversation ever takes place.
What This Means for Your Business
Visibility has become part of business development. Potential clients are researching you before they engage with you. They are evaluating your expertise before you have the opportunity to explain it. Ask yourself:
- What would a prospective client find if they searched for you today?
- Does your LinkedIn profile build confidence?
- Are you sharing insights that demonstrate expertise?
- Is there evidence online that supports your credibility?
For many organisations, the buying process now starts long before the first meeting.
Shift Two: AI Is Becoming Part of Every Buying Decision
Artificial intelligence is no longer something that might influence buying behaviour in the future. It is already influencing it today. One of the most significant findings shared was that 95% of buyers now use AI during the purchasing process.
AI is being used throughout the entire buyer journey. From identifying problems and conducting research through to comparing vendors, evaluating proposals and exploring alternatives, buyers are increasingly relying on AI to help them make decisions.
Australian buyers are among the fastest adopters globally.
LinkedIn’s research shows Australian buyers are learning about and adopting AI faster than international averages, with AI-related learning activity increasing 1.6 times over the past two years.
The top ways Australian buyers are using AI include:
- Analysing and comparing vendor proposals (42%)
- Predicting market trends (40%)
- Identifying risks and opportunities (38%)
- Conducting more extensive pre-purchase research (36%)
- Exploring in-house alternatives to external providers (29%)
Perhaps the most important takeaway is that buyers are no longer relying solely on vendor information. They are increasingly using AI to validate claims, compare options and challenge recommendations before making decisions.
What This Means for Your Business
Businesses must now communicate with two audiences: humans and AI. Your content, website, proposals and digital presence all contribute to how buyers and AI systems understand your expertise. Organisations should be considering:
- Is our expertise clearly articulated online?
- Are our services easy to understand?
- Do we provide evidence and examples that support our claims?
- Is our content answering the questions buyers are likely to ask AI?
Being discoverable through search engines remains important. Being discoverable and understandable through AI may become equally important.
Shift Three: Trust Is Becoming the Ultimate Competitive Advantage
While AI dominated much of the discussion, perhaps the most powerful insight from the session was about trust. LinkedIn’s research found that 88% of Australian buyers say seller expertise is the primary driver of trust. Yet only 34% of buyers actually trust sellers.
That gap is significant.
It highlights a challenge facing many organisations today. Buyers have access to more information than ever before, making them more informed but also more sceptical.
They verify claims. They compare providers. They seek independent validation. They look for proof. This is why expertise is becoming increasingly valuable.
The research also found that buyers place the greatest value on human engagement during the middle stages of the buying journey. This is when they are comparing options, evaluating solutions, testing alternatives and seeking confidence in their decisions.
What This Means for Your Business
Trust is no longer built through marketing messages alone. It is built through evidence, expertise and consistency. Businesses that will stand out are those that:
- Share valuable insights regularly.
- Demonstrate expertise through education.
- Support claims with proof points and case studies.
- Build relationships before opportunities arise.
- Position themselves as advisers rather than vendors.
As information becomes easier to access, trust becomes harder to earn. That makes it more valuable.
The Opportunity Ahead
The organisations succeeding in today’s environment are:
- Leading with professional insight.
- Focusing on the moments where expertise matters most.
- Building trust through transparency.
- Embracing AI while strengthening human connection.
Technology will continue to evolve. Buyer behaviour will continue to change. But the organisations that combine AI, expertise, credibility and genuine relationships will be best positioned to succeed.
The future of business development is not about choosing between technology and people.
It is about using technology to enhance the things that matter most: trust, expertise and meaningful human connection.
The question now isn’t whether these changes are happening. It’s how you’ll respond to them.
And that’s exactly why we created Local Link Connect.
While our events focus on the big-picture trends shaping business, Connect is where we focus on implementation through fortnightly sessions, practical resources and a community of business owners and professionals committed to taking action.
You can learn more here – Local Link Connect | Local Link