Navigating Longer Sales Cycles: Strategies for Building Trust

Heather M. and anyone else with this on their mind: This is a great question — and yes, I’m seeing more founders intentionally lengthen sales cycles when trust, risk, and deal size justify it. Industries where this shows up most clearly right now: • B2B software and SaaS with complex integrations • Mobile app platforms with operational or data risk • AI and automation solutions tied to core business systems • Professional services where decisions affect revenue, compliance, or people At early–mid growth stages, the mistake I see isn’t “sales taking too long.” It’s trying to compress a trust problem with short-cycle tactics. The companies doing this well design sales as a relationship system: • Education before persuasion • Consistent credibility signals over time • Sales + marketing tightly aligned around decision confidence, not urgency As for finding the right sales or marketing consultancy — the strongest signal isn’t industry logos or tools. It’s whether they can clearly articulate: • How buyers emotionally process risk in your category • Where trust is earned vs. assumed • What should not be automated At PeakWaves, we market software, mobile app solutions, and AI automations specifically in service of marketing systems and business goals, not tech for tech’s sake. Our Official Sales and Business Development Strategist, Mark Moran, specializes in relationship-based sales. He has over 15 years of experience leading high-performing teams, including earning Rookie Manager of the Year on the Verizon B2B account. He’s deeply grounded in long-cycle, trust-led sales environments — and genuinely enjoys helping founders think this through clearly. If anyone here is navigating longer sales cycles and wants a thoughtful, no-pressure perspective, I’m sure Mark would be happy to be a resource. DM me if you'd like to connect with Mark. (He's not on RG yet due to the holidays). Best in the new year to you!