67% of B2B Buyers Prefer Rep-Free Buying: Now What?

Sales teams have long treated the rep as the centre of the deal. New research from Gartner suggests many buyers see it differently. In a survey released in March 2026, 67% of B2B buyers said they prefer a rep-free experience. They want to research, compare and decide on their own terms, and they are bringing AI along to help.

For sales and enablement leaders, this is a signal to change how they support both buyers and sellers.

What the Gartner survey found

Gartner surveyed 646 B2B buyers between August and September 2025. Two findings stand out.

First, the majority preference for a rep-free experience. Buyers are not necessarily hostile to salespeople. They simply want control over when and how they engage.

Second, AI is already part of the process. 45% of respondents said they used AI during a recent purchase. Buyers use it to search for information, vet suppliers and define what they need before a seller enters the picture.

Together, these numbers describe a buying journey that is more self-directed and more digitally mediated than it was even a few years ago.

Why static content no longer carries influence

Alyssa Cruz, Senior Principal Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice, argues that buyers now move through critical buying tasks autonomously. That makes it risky for sellers to depend on traditional collateral such as PDFs, slide decks and one-pagers.

Static content is the same for everyone, and it often arrives too late. If a buying group has already shaped its requirements through independent research and AI queries, a generic brochure won’t change its mind.

Cruz’s advice to enablement leaders is to move beyond distributing content and toward AI-driven support that fits into sellers’ daily workflow. Sellers still need to be helpful. They just need to do it without adding friction to the buyer’s experience.

The new goal: value clarity

Gartner says the answer is value clarity. This means buyers clearly understand how a solution will improve outcomes for their specific role and business context.

The payoff is measurable. According to Gartner, buyers with high decision confidence are twice as likely to report a high-quality deal as buyers with low confidence. Confidence is a revenue driver, and value clarity is what produces it.

Value clarity has to be delivered at scale, including to buyers who never talk to a rep in the early stages. Your content, tools and AI have to do some of the selling.

Three moves for sales enablement leaders

Gartner outlines three priorities for enablement teams.

1. Put AI agents to work for buyers and sellers. Buyer-facing agents can support self-guided validation, so prospects can test whether a solution fits without booking a call. Seller-facing agents help reps articulate value in a way that fits each account. Both sides of the process get support.
2. Build modular, agent-ready content. Instead of producing one-size-fits-all assets, break content into smaller building blocks. AI can then assemble them into context-aware resources, whether a buyer is reading them directly or a seller is sharing them. A modular library is easier to personalize and keep current.
3. Embed enablement in sellers’ systems of action. Sellers already work inside CRMs and other workflow tools. Enablement that requires another login or tab gets ignored. Delivering guidance, content and coaching inside existing workflows reduces tool switching and administrative burden, which improves adoption.

What this means for your team

A rep-free preference does not mean reps are obsolete. It means the role is changing. Sellers will increasingly join conversations later, after buyers have formed opinions and gathered information. Their job is to confirm, sharpen and personalize the value case, not to introduce basic facts.

A few practical questions to ask your team:

• Can a buyer answer their own early questions using our content and tools?
• Is our content structured so AI can use it accurately?
• Do sellers get help in the tools they already use, or do they have to go find it?
• Are we measuring buyer confidence, not just activity and pipeline?

Conclusion

The Gartner findings are clear: most B2B buyers want to lead their own journey, and nearly half already use AI to do it. Companies that adapt by modernizing enablement, structuring content for AI and building buyer confidence will be better placed to win deals. Those that rely on static collateral and early rep contact risk being shortlisted out before they ever get a call.

I hope you find the above content helpful. For more such informative content, please visit SalesDemand.

FAQs

1. What percentage of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free experience?

According to a Gartner survey of 646 B2B buyers conducted in August and September 2025, 67% said they prefer a rep-free experience. Buyers want to research, compare and make decisions on their own terms, with less early involvement from sales reps.

2. How many B2B buyers are using AI in the purchase process?

Gartner found that 45% of surveyed buyers used AI during a recent purchase. They use it to search for information, vet suppliers and shape their solution requirements, often before speaking to a seller.

3. Does a rep-free preference mean salespeople are no longer needed?

No. It means the seller’s role is changing. Reps will often join the conversation later, after buyers have done their own research. At that stage, sellers add the most value by confirming, sharpening and personalizing how the solution delivers results for the buyer’s specific role and business.

4. What is value clarity, and why does it matter?

Value clarity is a clear understanding of how a solution improves outcomes in the buyer’s specific role and business context. It matters because it builds decision confidence. Gartner reports that confident buyers are twice as likely to describe a deal as high quality compared with buyers who have low confidence.

5. How can sales enablement teams adapt to rep-free buying?

Gartner recommends three priorities: use AI agents that support both buyers and sellers, structure content into modular, agent-ready building blocks, and embed enablement directly into the systems sellers already use. Together, these steps reduce friction and help deliver value clarity at scale, including to buyers who never speak with a rep early on.