Know, Like, Trust ... Buy

Why Buyers Decide When They Feel Safe (Not When You Try to Close)

You’ve probably heard the phrase know like trust = buy.

It’s often said as if it’s obvious — almost casual.
But in real B2B sales, it explains something far more important:

• Buyers don’t buy because they’re convinced.
• They buy when they feel safe enough to decide.

That’s what know like trust buy is really pointing to — the internal process a buyer goes through before they commit to a decision they’ll later have to justify.

What “Know, Like, Trust, Buy” Really Means

Let’s strip this back to fundamentals.

• Know means the buyer recognises you as relevant to their situation.
• Like means they experience you as respectful, calm, and easy to deal with.
• Trust means they believe choosing you won’t create problems later.
• Buy is the natural outcome once internal risk drops below a tolerable level.

The mistake many salespeople make is assuming these happen automatically — or that liking someone leads directly to buying.

It doesn’t.

In practice, know like trust only works when trust has been deliberately and patiently established.

The Know Like Trust Sales Model (Not a Slogan)

Many sales professionals refer to this sequence as the know like trust sales model.

Not as a tactic.
Not as a checklist.
But as a way of understanding how buyers move internally from awareness to decision.

In the know like trust sales model, each step represents a shift in perceived risk:

• From unfamiliar → familiar
• From guarded → open
• From uncertain → safe enough to act

Deals usually stall not because the buyer lacks interest, but because the final transition — from like to trust — hasn’t fully occurred in a way that feels safe to commit to.

That’s why know like trust buy is not a sales technique.
It’s a decision model.

Why Buyers Can Know You and Like You — and Still Not Buy

This is one of the most misunderstood parts of selling.

Buyers can:

• enjoy the conversation,
• respect your expertise,
• and still delay indefinitely.

Why?

Because liking someone does not remove risk.

Trust does.

In the know like trust buy sequence, trust is the decision-gate. Until that gate opens, buyers hesitate — often politely, often quietly.

They say things like:

• “Let’s think about it.”
• “Send us some information.”
• “We’ll revisit this later.”

These aren’t objections.
They’re signs that trust hasn’t yet stabilised.

How Buyers Experience Risk (The Missing Piece)

To understand know like trust, you need to understand what buyers are protecting.

They’re not just evaluating your solution.
They’re protecting:

• their credibility internally,
• their workload,
• their reputation,
• and their future self if the decision goes wrong.

That’s why persuasion without trust feels uncomfortable.

And why pressure — even subtle pressure — creates resistance.

In effective selling, persuasion doesn’t push.
It reduces uncertainty.

Different Buyers, Different Decision Pressures

One reason the know like trust sales model is so useful is that it helps explain why buyers stall at different points.

Some buyers move toward outcomes
They’re motivated by improvement, growth, and opportunity.

They respond well when:

• progress is visible,
• benefits are concrete,
• and the future looks better than the present.

For these buyers, know like trust accelerates when you clearly articulate what success looks like and how it’s achieved.

Other buyers move away from problems
They’re motivated by avoiding risk, mistakes, or disruption.

They respond when:

• consequences of inaction are clear,
• hidden risks are surfaced calmly,
• and downside is addressed honestly.

For them, trust grows when you help them avoid future pain — not when you oversell upside.

Both styles are rational.
They just respond to different internal filters.

How Buyers Prefer to Choose

Another subtle but critical layer of the know like trust buy process is how people like to decide.

Some buyers want a clear path

They feel safer when:

• steps are defined,
• the process is visible,
• and expectations are clear.

Trust builds when you map the journey and explain what happens next.

Others want flexibility

They prefer to:

• keep options open,
• delay commitment,
• and retain room to adjust.

Trust builds when the decision feels reversible and not overly final too soon.

The error is forcing one style on everyone.
The skill is noticing which style you’re dealing with and framing the decision accordingly.

Where Language Shapes Trust

In real sales conversations, how something is said often matters more than what is said.

Language that supports know like trust >> buy:

• acknowledges uncertainty,
• names trade-offs honestly,
• avoids cornering,
• and preserves choice.

Language that undermines it:

• sounds rehearsed,
• rushes certainty,
• or tries to “handle” hesitation.

This is why scripts fail.

Persuasion in selling isn’t mechanical.
It’s responsive.

Influence Without Pressure

There are well-known influence principles that explain why persuasion works — reciprocity, authority, consistency, social proof, and others.

They matter.

But they work best when understood as explanations of human behaviour, not tactics to deploy.

I’ve explained those principles here:

On this page, the focus is different.

This page is about how the know like trust model unfolds naturally when buyers feel understood, respected, and safe to decide.

When Buying Finally Happens

Buying happens when the internal question shifts from:

“Is this the right option?”

to:

“Is it safe enough to choose this now?”

That’s the moment the know like trust sales model completes its cycle.

Not with pressure.
Not with clever closes.
But with clarity and trust.

The Quiet Advantage

Salespeople who truly understand know like trust >> buy don’t need to:

• chase decisions,
• manufacture urgency,
• or push past hesitation.

They know that when trust is in place, buying follows.

Their role is not to convince —
but to help the buyer feel ready.