August 7, 2026
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 most frustrated by too many follow-ups in a short period.
Outreach that leads SMBs to block/blacklist a company

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