What changed

Forrester released its 2027 B2B go-to-market predictions on 21 October 2026.

  • Buyers check with people. Buyers will double their human interactions to validate AI-generated recommendations.
  • Unproven claims lose deals. Two-thirds of providers will lose deals because buyers cannot verify claims.
  • Customers are a source. Forrester says buyers will need conversations with trusted third parties including analysts, customer references and partners.
  • What sellers must do. Providers’ systems and sellers must respond with speed, accuracy and consistency.

These are predictions for 2027, not measured results.

What it could put at risk

Revenue

A claim without evidence a buyer can check may stall at the verification step, and a competitor whose customers will take the call may win instead.

Cost

If proof is gathered deal by deal, senior people may spend time finding a reference at the last minute.

Cash

Slower verification can push closes later and move revenue into a later period of the forecast.

Continuity

A few customers can end up speaking for the whole business, and may tire of it. A customer who has not been looked after may not take the call.

Our view

We think most companies can list what they claim. Fewer can say who would back each claim up, or whose job it is to find out.

Write down the five claims you make most often. For each one, record the evidence a buyer could check, a customer who has agreed to speak and who in your business owns it.

Customer proof depends on customer success. A customer who has seen the value, and has a named contact, is more likely to agree to be a reference.

This is our reading of one set of analyst predictions. The final point, on customer success, is our own view and is not in Forrester’s release.

Three questions for the board

  1. Which five claims do we make most often, and what customer evidence could a buyer check for each?
  2. Which customers have agreed to speak to a buyer, and when were they last asked?
  3. Who owns customer proof, and is it part of anyone’s targets?

Sources

Forrester: 2027 B2B go-to-market predictions: AI agents will influence 75% of B2B purchase decisions (21 October 2026)

Sources accessed on 26 October 2026.

Photo: Raymond Petrik on Unsplash.

Important information. This article is general information for business readers. It is not legal, financial, accounting or investment advice, and it does not take account of your circumstances. Figures and quotations come from the sources listed, which we have not independently audited, and are given as at the date of publication. Illustrations use assumed figures and are not forecasts, client results or guarantees. References to other organisations do not mean they endorse Elea Partners or have any relationship with it.