By Urban Gavelin — January 13, 2026 — Sales Psychology & Commercial Presence

Why Likeability Beats Trust in Today's Business Landscape

In a world where institutional trust is eroding — where AI is replacing human touchpoints, regulators are losing credibility, and buyers have been burned before — likeability has become the new first currency in sales. You can't lead with trust when trust is scarce. You lead with likeability. And likeability, unlike trust, can be built in a single conversation.

The likeability gap in B2B sales

Only 3% of buyers say they trust salespeople — yet 74% say they would buy from a salesperson they personally liked, even without an established track record. (Harvard Business Review)
82% of B2B buyers say the sales experience itself is a key factor in their buying decision — more so than price or product features in 53% of cases. (Salesforce State of Sales)
Sales reps rated high on warmth and presence close at 2.4× the rate of peers with equivalent product knowledge but lower interpersonal scores. (Harvard Business Review)

From South America with charm: a lesson in likeability

I just came back from South America. And no, this isn't one of those "I found myself on a beach in Ecuador" kind of stories — although, yes, I did have the world's best ceviche in Lima, but that's not the point.

The point is this: people there know how to sell. Not in the polished, neuro-hacked, funnel-optimised way we obsess over in Europe or the US. They sell like their life depends on it. And in some cases, it actually does.

These are low-trust societies. Corruption is woven into politics, regulations shift like quicksand, and most people don't trust institutions, let alone salespeople. So how do they survive in business? How do they thrive?

They don't lead with trust. They lead with likeability. In a world where trust is scarce, likeability becomes the golden currency.

Welcome to the era of likeability first

We're entering a similar climate in Europe and beyond:

Transactional online economies are replacing handshake deals.
Generative AI is reducing human touchpoints across the sales process.
Institutional trust — in politicians, regulators, companies — is at historic lows.

So ask yourself: what do you do when no one trusts anyone anymore?

You flip the script. You become someone they like first. Then you earn their trust.

Trust is no longer step one

If you're selling insurance, coaching, consulting, or even ideas, your client has already been burned before. By someone smarter, slicker, more polished.

But here's the twist: people buy from people they like — especially when they don't trust the system. If you feel warm, real, grounded, present — you get the first seat in their decision-making room. You become the human they can believe in before they believe in your offer.

Likeability doesn't replace competence. It creates the opening for competence to be heard.

Charisma is muscle — and muscle can be trained

Here's the best part. Charisma, presence, likeability — it's not magic. It's skill. And skill can be built.

When you show up with body language that signals strength, tone that reveals calm certainty, and attention that makes people feel seen — you instantly rise in perceived value. That's when the conversation shifts from "Should I trust this person?" to "I want to trust this person. Tell me more."

The mechanics are learnable:

Mirror their energy and tone — not just their words
Start with a short personal story — not your pitch
Use their name — and remember a detail they've shared
Slow down on video — your voice and face matter more than your slides
Don't sell perfection — sell connection — show where you've struggled too
Practice presence pauses — wait 2 seconds before replying
Make them feel heard — before making them feel persuaded

The likeability challenge

Pick one customer interaction this week. Focus only on being likeable — not persuasive. Use two tactics from the list above. Then measure the response:

Did they open up?
Did they laugh?
Did they say, "You know what, I like talking to you"?

You'll know it when you feel it. This isn't "sales technique." This is human resonance.

Book a call — let's sharpen your commercial presence

Frequently asked questions about likeability in B2B sales

Is likeability more important than competence in B2B sales?

Likeability and competence are not competing forces — they are sequential. In low-trust environments, likeability creates the opening that competence needs to be heard. A buyer who doesn't like the salesperson will rationalise away evidence of competence. A buyer who likes the salesperson will actively look for reasons to trust their expertise. The practical implication: invest in presence and warmth as seriously as you invest in product knowledge, because without the first, the second rarely lands.

How do you build likeability quickly in a sales conversation?

Likeability in a sales conversation is built through three signals: warmth (showing genuine interest in the other person), presence (being fully attentive rather than rehearsing your next line), and authenticity (sharing something real about yourself before asking for anything). Practically: start with a short personal story rather than a pitch, use the buyer's name, remember something they mentioned previously, slow down your speaking pace, and pause before responding rather than rushing to fill silence. These micro-moves signal that you see the person, not just the deal.

Why is trust harder to establish in modern B2B sales?

Trust in B2B sales is harder to establish because buyers are more informed, more sceptical, and more burned than ever before. Digital selling has removed many of the human signals that historically built trust — shared meals, physical handshakes, spontaneous conversation. AI-generated outreach has made buyers desensitised to polished communication. And institutional trust in companies and salespeople as a category has declined sharply. The result is that trust now takes longer to earn through track record, but likeability — the sense that this is a real human worth talking to — can be established in minutes and opens the door to everything that follows.

Originally published as a LinkedIn newsletter on January 13, 2026. Follow Urban Gavelin on LinkedIn →