B2B buyers want a rep-free experience. Until they don’t
Two thirds of B2B buyers say they’d rather not talk to a salesperson. Almost as many want one to check what AI told them. Both are true, and the gap between them is where deals are won.
What you will learn
- Do B2B buyers really want to skip the salesperson?
- Where does self-service research run out, and why do buyers turn to a rep?
- How should a small inside sales team change where it spends its time?
In this article
Here’s a headline that should make any inside sales leader wince. In March, Gartner reported that 67% of B2B buyers now prefer a rep-free buying experience.
Two months later, the same research team published a second finding from the same survey: 69% of buyers prefer to validate AI-generated insights with a sales rep.
So which is it? Do buyers want us or not?
Both. They just don’t want us all the time. And that changes how a small inside sales team should spend its day.
What the research actually says
Gartner surveyed around 650 B2B buyers in August and September 2025. A few numbers stand out:
- 45% used generative AI during a recent purchase, mostly to research vendors and products.
- Buyers used seven sources on average before deciding. Your website is one of them. ChatGPT is probably another.
- 70% would prefer a fully digital, self-service purchase.
- Trust is split down the middle. 51% expect to get misleading information from AI tools. 49% expect it from a salesperson.
That last point is the uncomfortable one. Buyers don’t avoid reps because they’re busy. Many avoid reps because they expect to be sold to rather than helped.
Buyers don’t want fewer conversations. They want fewer pointless ones.
Self-service has a ceiling
Buyers can now get a long way on their own. They read your pricing page, skim reviews, ask an AI assistant to compare you with three competitors and watch a product video at 11pm.
Then they hit a wall. Does it integrate with our CRM? Will it handle our approval process? Is that pricing realistic for a team our size? Was the AI right that you don’t support SSO?
Those are the moments Gartner says reps still matter most: checking what the buyer has learned, reducing perceived risk and helping them make the case internally. Its analysts are clear that a preference for self-service doesn’t mean sellers matter less. It means they need to show up differently.
The problem: the moment and the rep rarely meet
Here’s where it gets tricky for a small team. The buyer reaches that wall on their own schedule. They click “Book a demo” because they want an answer now.
What they usually get is a form, a calendar link and a slot next week. By then they’ve asked the AI again, or a competitor has answered first. We wrote about this in the demo request that goes cold.
In other words, buyers aren’t rejecting salespeople. They’re rejecting waiting for salespeople.
What this means for inside sales teams
If you run one to five reps handling inbound, the research points to a few practical shifts:
- Be there at the high-intent moment. A demo request is the buyer telling you they’ve hit the self-service ceiling. Answer it in minutes, not days.
- Lead with validation, not a pitch. Ask what they’ve already learned and where they’ve looked. Then confirm, correct or fill the gaps.
- Be honest about the hard stuff. Pricing, limits and integrations you don’t have. Straight answers are what separate you from a sales script.
- Make your public content AI-readable. If buyers ask AI tools about you, clear pricing and feature pages help the answers come out right.
- Save rep time for the second call. The first conversation qualifies and informs. The second, with a person, is where the deal moves.
The bottom line
“Buyers don’t want reps” is the wrong conclusion. Buyers don’t want to be chased, and they don’t want to wait. They do want a knowledgeable, honest conversation at the exact moment they have a question that a web page or an AI chat can’t settle.
Teams that can be in that moment, every time, will win the deals that self-service starts but can’t finish.