People buy from people. The most convincing spokesperson for a company is a leader who believes in what they do—and dares to make their thinking visible.
When a leader is consistently heard from the very beginning—through opinion pieces, speeches, and decisions—sympathy turns into trust, and trust turns into choice. Price comparisons give way to confidence in execution, perceived risk decreases, and decisions are made faster.
But when a leader is unknown, the default answer becomes: “Let’s run another round.” It’s a slow and costly process. Younger buyers often won’t consider you at all—because they don’t know you or your company.
Here are two fresh examples that show this mechanism in action:
Markus Villig (Bolt) writes consistently that Europe must move faster—not in words, but in real decisions. He puts the spotlight on technology, the speed of government decision-making, and the standards of execution. This is not product promotion—it’s framing the choice: why and where the market is moving, and by what standards his company operates. This visible handwriting makes the brand trustworthy—even in contested areas.
Kadri Kiisel (LHV) has shown that values are actions, not press releases. She publicly explained the core of the banking secrecy dispute—what exactly went wrong, the legal reasoning behind the conclusion, and the bank’s role in restoring trust. When decisions, explanations, and accountability are all visible in one place, partners can assess risk more easily.
Values-Based Choice Is the New Norm
Edelman’s Trust Barometer confirms that trust has become as decisive in purchase decisions as price and quality. If a brand is not trusted, even the best price becomes secondary. Nearly two-thirds of people now choose, avoid, or switch brands based on beliefs and values—a share that has grown year over year.
Today’s buyer no longer looks only at price and quality—the visible “handwriting” of the leader matters just as much: how they solve problems, what promises they make, and when they dare to say an honest “no.”
It’s not about talking values—it’s about living them. If you regularly show how you make decisions and share your leadership philosophy in clear language, buyers will understand your values and make their choice accordingly.
Edelman adds another sober insight: when a company stays silent on socially important issues, a significant share of people assume the worst. In other words, trust requires not only the substance of choices but also a clear point of view. The leader’s job is not to comment on everything, but to define the few issues that truly matter to the client’s risk profile and execution—and to do so consistently and clearly.
The Buying Journey Starts Behind a Screen
We live in a market where most of the buyer’s homework is done online. Buyers want to research and compare on their own before ever speaking to a salesperson. Gartner states plainly: most B2B buyers now prefer a sales-rep-free journey and make much of their decision based on available digital information.
That means your digital footprint must show who you are as a leader—how you think, what you value, and how you decide. People buy not only the product or service, but the confidence that the purchase will solve problems rather than create new ones. And that confidence comes from a visible leader.
McKinsey confirms that buyers are increasingly making even large transactions via digital channels and self-service—because speed and convenience outweigh tradition. A leader’s clear and visible voice opens the door, but it isn’t enough on its own: there must also be a clear path behind it—comparable information, transparent standards, and a swift decision process so the buyer can move seamlessly from reading to action.
Buyers Want to See the People Behind the Brand
Generational shift has made this the new norm. Millennials and Gen Z already make up the majority of B2B buyers, and their starting point is always digital—they read, compare, and evaluate a leader’s thinking and values before a meeting even makes it onto the calendar. If the leader isn’t present in their information space, they won’t be considered at all.
Why the leader? Because trust is given to people, not logos. It’s won not by slogans, but by consistent presence, relevant explanation, fast action, and visible accountability.
This is the “brand with a face”: a leader who makes clear what they stand for, how they decide, and what they take responsibility for—so the buyer sees a person, not just a logo.
Values-based purchasing is not “romantic idealism.” It is practical risk management: Who helps me win with more certainty? If decision-makers can quickly see how you solve problems, what risk you remove, and how you handle crises, uncertainty decreases and the sales cycle shortens. But when the leader’s voice is missing, buyers default to comparing prices. And price will always speak the loudest.
Visibility → Trust → Choice
Many don’t see the connection between LinkedIn posting and business growth, dismissing it as “chasing likes.” The real mechanism is simple: LinkedIn is where buyers do their homework. If your post makes your thinking visible—explaining the problem, the options, and the trade-offs—you create visibility.
Visibility puts you on the radar. Consistency turns visibility into trust. Trust converts into choice. And the conversation begins not with “Who are you?” but with “How do we make this happen?”
Strategic visibility is not “pointless posting.” It is a crucial step in the buyer’s journey.
Accelerator or Brake?
In the end, it’s a simple choice.
A visible leader—who shapes market choices and makes their values and standards clear—is an accelerator. The sales cycle shortens, uncertainty decreases, and margins hold, because the buyer already knows who they’re partnering with before signing.
A leader who relies on results to “speak for themselves” becomes a brake. Decisions drag on, much of the journey happens without you, and price becomes the only argument left.
This is not a one-off campaign, but a consistent routine. Start today by defining three clear sentences:
- Who you create value for.
- What risk you remove.
- When you and your company are not the right choice.
Write one post a month based on those sentences. Speak honestly even when things go wrong—and explain what you changed.
And measure impact where it matters: inbound leads, time from first contact to proposal, number of rounds, and win rates.
Every day is a new choice: will you shape your image yourself, or let price and competitors do it for you?
Link Original article: https://arileht.delfi.ee/artikkel/120399823/olesija-saue-kas-juhi-brand-on-aritulemuste-voimendi-voi-pidur
