Why Trust Is the New Currency in B2B Software Buying (video)

Guest: Adnan Malik, Co-founder & CEO, Softwarefinder  |  Host: John Golden, Sales POP! & Pipeliner CRM

Most B2B software buyers don’t lose because they pick the wrong vendor. They lose because the buying process itself is broken. In this Expert Insight Interview, host John Golden sits down with Adnan Malik of Softwarefinder to explore how trust — not technology, not marketing — drives better software decisions and sustainable business growth.

Adnan draws on six-plus years of buyer and vendor data to challenge the pay-to-play model dominating most software marketplaces. He makes a compelling case for keeping humans at the center of complex B2B decisions, even as AI reshapes the landscape at a pace no one predicted.

Key Insights

1. The B2B software buying process fails most buyers — and the cost goes far beyond the license fee.

Adnan opens with a number that stops the conversation cold: 70–80% of B2B software buyers feel dissatisfied after their purchase. The culprit isn’t bad software. Buyers make decisions under pressure, with too much noise and too little clarity. A wrong software decision quietly costs companies millions in lost momentum, stalled growth, and organizational disruption. For larger organizations implementing ERP or HR systems, a single misstep can threaten the entire business trajectory.

2. Pay-to-play ranking models create a trust gap that hurts everyone.

Traditional software marketplaces reward whoever bids the most — not whoever fits best. Adnan built Softwarefinder on a fundamentally different principle: every vendor pays the same cost per lead, eliminating the financial incentive to push any single solution. This equal-cost model means consultants recommend based purely on buyer fit — use case, integrations, team size, budget, and implementation needs. Buyers receive honest guidance. Vendors reach prospects who genuinely suit their product.

3. Human consultants — supported by AI — deliver what algorithms can’t.

Softwarefinder covers 40–50 software verticals, from CRM to medical records to HR platforms. To cover that range, Adnan hires globally and trains consultants with support from an AI matchmaking layer that surfaces relevant vendor data in real time. But the human element drives the outcome. Consultants ask the questions that matter — about integrations, change management, user counts, and implementation complexity — and read between the lines to distinguish what buyers say they need from what they actually need. A 10-minute phone call replaces hours of research and confusion.

4. Verified reviews separate credible platforms from noise.

Fake reviews erode trust on B2C platforms, and Adnan refuses to let that happen in the B2B space. Softwarefinder confirms every reviewer’s company email via OTP and cross-checks their LinkedIn profile to verify active employment. When vendors dispute a review, the platform requests screenshots of actual software usage before making any judgment. The goal: protect both sides of the marketplace — because the platform only works when buyers and vendors trust it equally.

5. Trust is now the most important competitive advantage in an AI-flooded market.

As AI floods the market with new software categories, new vendors, and new content, distinguishing signal from noise grows harder every week. Adnan’s advice to business leaders is direct: build trust deliberately, avoid shortcuts, and stay transparent about AI use. Companies chasing quick wins at the expense of credibility lose their customers and partners in the long run. In a world where collective trust erodes, every business pays the price.

Guest Quotes

“About 70 to 80% of B2B software buyers — the decision they made, they were having issues with it. It’s not because vendors are bad. It’s because decisions are made under pressure, with too much noise and too little clarity.” — Adnan Malik

“Our job is to connect the buyer to the best software company out there — because we’re not being incentivized from vendor A to vendor B. They’re all paying the same amount.” — Adnan Malik

“The important thing is not the answer. The important thing is asking the right questions.” — Adnan Malik

“Trust is going to be more and more important in the coming years — because we’re going to have a flurry of content, and it’s going to be very hard to know what’s real.” — Adnan Malik

B2B Software Buying: Key Statistics from Softwarefinder

Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.