Your buyers size you up long before you hear from them. B2B buyers using AI to research vendors now build a shortlist with tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, then reach out only after they have narrowed the field. G2’s 2026 research found that 51% of B2B software buyers now start their product research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google, up from 36% just seven months earlier. So the first call is not the start of the conversation anymore. It sits closer to the middle.

Key takeaways

Half of B2B software buyers now start their research with AI more often than with Google.
Buyers arrive later and better informed, so the first call is a later-stage call.
AI answers are built from your public content and third-party reviews, not your pitch deck.
Reps win by adding value the AI could not give, starting with sharper discovery.
Marketers win by making proof and differentiators easy for AI to find and quote.

What changes when B2B buyers use AI to research you

Buyers used to call a rep early just to get basic facts. Now an AI hands them those facts in seconds. They arrive with a working view of your product, your competitors, and your whole category. Two things change. First, you meet buyers later. When buyers can get straight answers from AI, they spend more of their research on their own and reach out only once they have a point of view. Second, you meet them better informed. A buyer may already know your feature list and name three of your competitors before you say hello. So here is a fair question to ask yourself. If a buyer has already read an AI summary of your company, what does your first call actually add?

Your proof now lives where the AI can read it

Here is the part many teams miss. When a buyer asks an AI to compare vendors, the AI does not read your sales deck. It reads what is public: your website, your documentation, your case studies, and third-party review sites. Peer reviews carry real weight in that mix. G2’s 2026 AI Search Insight Report found that 45% of software buyers say a citation from a review site is the most confidence-inspiring signal in an AI answer. If your best proof is trapped in a gated PDF or stuck in a rep’s head, the AI cannot quote it. If that proof is clear and public, the AI can put it in front of the buyer for you. The same goes for your differentiators. If the one thing that makes you different only lives in a rep’s talk track, the AI will never mention it. Say it plainly on a public page and the AI has something to repeat.

This rewards sellers who add real value

None of this is bad news for good sellers. Buyers who arrive informed are easier to help, not harder. They know their problem, they have seen their options, and they are ready to go deep on day one. The reps who struggle are the ones who only repeated the brochure. The reps who win bring judgment an AI cannot fake. Here is how each part of your team can get there.

What reps should do

Reps feel this shift first, on the very first call.

Treat the first call as a later-stage call. Assume the buyer has done homework. Skip the long company overview unless they ask for it.
Ask better discovery questions. Find out what the AI told them and where it was thin or wrong. “What did your research turn up about us?” is a strong opener.
Add value the AI could not. Share a specific insight about their situation, a trade-off the AI skipped, or a story from a team much like theirs.
Confirm, then go deeper. The buyer wants a human who can pressure-test the shortlist, not repeat it back to them.

What managers should do

Managers set the system reps work inside, so small changes here spread fast.

Update your call framework. If reps still open with a long intro, they are answering questions the buyer already resolved on their own.
Coach for later-stage discovery. Reward reps who surface what the buyer learned before the call and build on it.
Rethink your stages. A first meeting may now sit further along than your CRM assumes. Check where deals really enter your pipeline.

What marketers should do

Marketing decides what the AI can find in the first place, long before a rep joins the call.

Make your differentiators easy to quote. Short, clear claims beat dense paragraphs. Put comparisons, use cases, and outcomes in plain text, not inside images.
Feed the sources AI trusts. Keep your review profiles current, and encourage happy customers to leave detailed reviews.
Answer real buyer questions on your site. Clear, direct FAQ content gives an AI clean material to cite when a buyer asks about you.

A simple way to start this week

Pick the three questions buyers ask you most. Then ask ChatGPT and Perplexity those same questions about your company. If the answer is wrong, thin, or missing your best proof, you just found your first fix. Do that once a month and you will always know what your buyers are reading before they call.

Frequently asked questions

Do B2B buyers really research vendors with AI before contacting sales?

Yes. G2’s 2026 research found that 51% of B2B software buyers now start their research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google. Many build a shortlist before a rep ever hears from them. That makes your public content part of the sales process.

Does this mean sales reps matter less?

No. It means reps matter in a different way. Buyers can get facts from AI on their own, so they value a human who adds judgment, context, and real trade-offs. The job shifts from informing the buyer to guiding the buyer.

How early do buyers reach out now?

Later than they used to. Buyers now handle much of their research with AI before they contact a vendor, so the first call often lands after they have built a shortlist. Treat it as a later-stage conversation, not an intro.

What does AI actually read when a buyer asks about my company?

Public sources. Your website, documentation, case studies, and third-party review sites. Gated or internal content stays invisible to the AI. If your strongest proof is not public, the AI cannot use it to help you.

How do I influence what AI says about us?

Publish clear, specific proof, and keep your review profiles strong. G2’s 2026 AI Search Insight Report found that 45% of software buyers say a review-site citation is the most confidence-inspiring signal in an AI answer. Clear public content gives an AI something accurate to quote.

What is the fastest first step for my team?

Ask ChatGPT and Perplexity the questions your buyers ask, then read what they say about you and your competitors. Find the biggest gap between that answer and the truth, and fix it first. It usually points straight at a content or review gap.