Your B2B buyer already has a shortlist (built by ChatGPT). Are you on it?

A request comes in and the tone is different from before. The prospect already knows who you are, knows your three competitors and even has a price in mind. The first conversation does not feel like an introduction, but like a final exam whose questions are already set.

What is happening here is invisible, and it decides whether you get recommended by ChatGPT in B2B: your buyer has done their pre-purchase research through AI. They asked ChatGPT for a list, got three or four names, and that list now decides who they call. The question is simple and painful: are you on that list, or do you only hear about the deal once it is already gone?

Do B2B customers really buy through ChatGPT?

Short answer: they do not buy directly, but they do decide partly on that basis. A growing share of B2B buyers no longer starts their orientation on Google, but with an AI assistant. They type something like “best partner for X in Belgium” and instantly get a balanced shortlist back.

That changes the rules of the game. In the past, a buyer read ten blue links and formed their own opinion. Now they are served a ready-made verdict, complete with reasons why. The names the AI mentions gain a head start that you can barely close later in the sales conversation.

A growing body of research points in the same direction: the pre-contact favourite wins in most cases. Whoever is named first gets the benefit of the doubt. The rest have to fight against an opinion that is already formed.

For how big that shift is in our region, read our figures on AI search adoption in the Benelux.

My prospects research in ChatGPT before calling us: how do I get recommended by ChatGPT in B2B?

This is where many companies go wrong: they keep investing in the moment of contact, while the battle has already been decided beforehand. You can sharpen your sales pitch all you want, but if you are not on the shortlist, you will never get to deliver it.

Getting mentioned in AI answers calls for a different kind of visibility. We call this GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization. Where classic SEO aims for positions in Google, GEO aims for AI models to trust, understand and cite your brand.

The foundation is still content, but content a language model can process:

• Clear, factual answers to the questions buyers ask, not vague marketing prose.
• Mentions in places AI trusts, such as trade media, review sites and relevant communities.
• A consistent story about who you are, who you work for and what you excel at.

To understand how this works in practice, our ultimate GEO guide is the best place to start. For a quicker introduction, our guide: what is GEO explains the core in a few minutes.

How do I influence the supplier choice when buyers consult AI first?

You do not influence that choice by shouting louder, but by becoming findable and citable at the moments the AI builds its answer. A few concrete levers.

Make sure your answer exists somewhere

An AI model does not invent suppliers, it draws on sources. If you are described nowhere as the party that solves problem X for sector Y, there is simply nothing to cite. So write content that answers your buyer’s question exactly, in their words.

Build presence in places models read

AI systems lean heavily on sources like Reddit, trade forums and independent reviews. Whoever is named and discussed there shows up more often in the answers. We wrote a concrete 90-day Reddit playbook about exactly this approach.

Measure what the AI says about you now

You cannot steer what you do not measure. With an AI share of voice measurement, you see how often you and your competitors are mentioned in AI answers. That tells you whether your problem is visibility or positioning. Read how it works in measuring AI share of voice and benchmarking competitors in AI search results.

What you can and cannot expect

Let’s be honest, because exaggerated promises help no one. GEO is not a button you press today to sit on top of every shortlist tomorrow. It is construction work, just like trust in a sales conversation.

What you can expect:

• You become step by step more visible in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
• You gain insight into how AI talks about you and where the gaps are.
• Your sales more often start with a warm rather than a cold prospect.

What you should not expect:

• No guarantee of the top spot, because no AI is for sale that way.
• No result in a week. Count on months, not days.
• No trick that replaces your SEO. GEO and SEO strengthen each other, they do not compete. We explain the difference in GEO vs SEO.

A marketing partner who promises you anything else is selling you castles in the air. We would rather not.

Frequently asked questions

Do B2B customers really buy through ChatGPT and how do I get on their shortlist?

They do not buy directly through ChatGPT, but they do assemble their shortlist with it. You get onto that list by creating content that describes your expertise factually and clearly, and by being mentioned on sources AI trusts. Think of it as building visibility before the conversation begins. Our approach to customers finding you through ChatGPT goes deeper into this.

My prospects do their research in ChatGPT before they call us. How do I make sure we get mentioned?

Start by measuring what the AI says about you now, then fill the gaps. Often there is simply no clear, citable source linking your solution to the buyer’s problem. For your specific context, we have guides on GEO for B2B and GEO for small businesses.

How do I influence the supplier choice when buyers consult AI first?

By being visible and trustworthy in the places where the model gets its answer from. That means good content of your own, third-party mentions and a consistent story. You do not steer the choice directly, but you greatly increase the chance that you are the first name mentioned.

Is ordinary SEO still worthwhile if everyone is shifting to AI?

Yes. AI models draw much of their knowledge from the same pages that also rank in Google. Strong SEO feeds your GEO. We wrote a level-headed piece about it in is SEO dead because of AI.

How do I know if it is working?

By tracking your AI visibility with the right tools. Which ones, we summarise in AI visibility tools.

Ready to be on the shortlist?

Your best prospects form their opinion before they dial your number. The sooner you get a grip on what AI tells about you, the more often you start the conversation warm rather than cold.

We help you with that from strategy to execution: positioning, lead generation, ads, SEO and GEO, all the way to the content AI models pick up. We are a small team, so we move fast and often do more than you expect.

Book your free intake and find out whether you are already on the AI shortlist today, or fall just outside the list.