What Makes SMB Buyers Walk Away

August 7, 2026

What Makes SMB Buyers Walk Away

A new Bredin survey of 500 U.S. SMB principals reveals which sales outreach behaviors encourage SMBs to engage and which cause them to walk away.

The biggest deal killer is a pushy or overly sales-oriented approach. Across all SMBs, 53% say they would block or blacklist a salesperson for this reason.

The next biggest turnoffs vary by business size. Very small (<20 employees) and small (20-99 employees) businesses are more likely to cite unsolicited cold calls, while midsized businesses (100-1,000 employees) are frustrated by too many follow-ups in a short period.

Outreach that leads SMBs to block/blacklist a company

Bar chart of outreach that leads SMBs to block or blacklist a vendor, by company size. A pushy or salesy tone ranks first at 54% of very small, 50% of small and 36% of midsize businesses. Cold calls follow at 38% and 39% for the two smaller groups. — Source: Bredin, July 2026, n=500 U.S. SMB decision-makers. Letters show statistically significant differences between company sizes at the 95% confidence level.

The outreach that turns SMBs off by company size

Unsolicited cold calls rank second for very small (38%) and small (39%) businesses, significantly more than the 23% of midsize businesses.
For midsize businesses, too many follow-ups in a short time ranks second at 28%. Very small businesses cite it about as often (29%).
Small businesses are put off by buzzwords and jargon (32%) significantly more than midsize businesses (19%).
Long or overly detailed emails are the least likely deal-killer, cited by 16% to 21% of SMBs.

For more, see the best first outreach tactic by SMB size, how brands build SMB trust and our guide to how to sell to SMBs.

These findings are from Bredin SMB MarketPulse, our subscription research service.

Need expert SMB insight? With an exclusive focus on the SMB market, decades of research experience, and advanced data tools, Bredin delivers actionable custom and omnibus research. Contact us to learn how we can support your 2026 GTM, product, content, PR, social, and sales goals.

What Makes SMB Buyers Walk Away