We’ve already acknowledged a hard but liberating truth: buyers don’t need us; they choose us. That shift in mindset changes everything. It removes the illusion of automatic loyalty and puts the power back in intentional positioning.

But awareness alone isn’t enough. Because when market conditions tighten, budgets are reviewed, and departments are asked to cut costs, every supplier relationship is suddenly under scrutiny. Being “liked” no longer keeps you in the room.

You can have a solid relationship, good feedback, and even regular work and still be seen as expendable.

In fact, 81% of B2B buyers report dissatisfaction with their chosen providers by the end of the purchase process (Forrester, 2024). Not because the product failed — but because the perceived value wasn’t strong enough to defend when pressure came.

This is where we need to go deeper.

If buyers can drop you quietly, without resistance or consequence, it means one thing: You haven’t proven your role in what they care about most.

And that’s what this article is here to address. Not just how to stay visible — but how to make yourself uncuttable.

Because unless you actively demonstrate strategic value, your place in the budget is never guaranteed. Here’s what buyers are really protecting. Here’s how to earn your seat — and how to prove you deserve to stay in it.

Understand: “Good” Isn’t Good Enough

Buyers don’t trim vendors they love. They trim the ones that feel safe to lose. Not because you did anything wrong — but because, in a tightening market, “good enough” just isn’t good enough.

When pressure mounts, the first thing buyers do is sort their vendors into categories:

• Mission-critical
• Nice-to-have
• Easy-to-cut

And if you’re not clearly tied to something they care deeply about — growth, efficiency, risk reduction, or competitive advantage — you get slotted into the wrong column by default.

The data tells the story:

• 75% of consumers are actively trading down or cutting non-essentials, even in higher income brackets. (McKinsey, 2025)
• 87% of technology buyers have now shifted focus to mission-critical purchases only. Buyers are becoming ruthless about prioritisation. (Forrester Research, 2024)
• Price sensitivity drives 33% of B2B buying decisions today. Every dollar is under scrutiny. (Forrester, 2024)

This isn’t about how friendly your relationship is. It’s about how defensible your presence is when procurement starts asking tough questions.

Key framing: If your offer doesn’t feel strategic, visible, and clearly tied to high-priority outcomes, you’re vulnerable.

Even if the client sounds happy. Even if you’ve “been with them for years.” Even if your contact says, “We   really like working with you.”

Because when the budget shrinks, sentiment doesn’t save you. Strategic value does.

The Warning Signs You’re Seen as “Cuttable”

There’s a difference between being appreciated and being protected. You might be liked. You might even be valued. But if buyers don’t see you as essential, you’re at risk the moment the spreadsheet opens.

Some of the warning signs are subtle. Others are right in front of you:

• You’re described as “nice to have,” not mission-critical. The language around your role is polite — but passive.
• Buyers hesitate when asked to justify your value internally. They can’t easily explain why you matter, even if they personally enjoy working with you.
• Your results are vague, hard to quantify, or tied to goals that don’t rank high on the leadership team’s priority list.
• Optional upgrades and extras feel like luxuries, not levers for acceleration or risk reduction — which means they’re the first to be ignored.

And the risk isn’t just emotional. It’s behavioural:

• 👉 81% of buyers end up dissatisfied with their chosen providers, often because the value wasn’t clearly tied to critical business outcomes. (Forrester Research, 2024)
• 👉 70% of B2B buyers now prefer self-directed purchasing online, which means if your value isn’t obvious, immediate, and measurable — you’ll be skipped before you even know you were considered. (Passive Secrets, 2025)

Important: Cuttable status doesn’t show up in the contract. It shows up in the hesitation. In the vague praise. In the lack of urgency around upgrades. In the quiet delays when it’s time to renew.

But the good news is: You can spot this status long before budget cuts begin — if you know what to listen for.

And if you catch it early enough, you can reposition yourself before you’re quietly replaced.

What Buyers Really Protect When Budgets Shrink

When budgets tighten, the question inside every company isn’t “What do we like?” It’s “What do we protect?”

And the answer is almost always the same: Buyers protect partners who are directly tied to what keeps the business alive, growing, and ahead of the curve.

If you want to stay on the right side of the red pen, your offer needs to connect clearly to:

• Revenue growth — anything that helps bring in more business or shorten the sales cycle.
• Risk reduction — helping the business avoid costly errors, compliance issues, or market exposure.
• Operational efficiency — freeing up time, reducing waste, simplifying complexity.
• Competitive advantage — providing insights, systems, or capabilities that create meaningful differentiation.

This isn’t speculation. It’s how modern buying works — especially in complex B2B environments:

• Buyers remain willing to invest in upgrades — but only when clear ROI is demonstrated. If the value isn’t obvious and measurable, the conversation stalls. (Forrester, 2024)
• 79% of purchases now require CFO-level approval, which means your offer must survive financial scrutiny, not just user enthusiasm. (G2, 2025)
• 52% of buying groups include VP-level or higher decision-makers, making strategic alignment — not just technical fit — a must. (TrustRadius, 2025)

Angle: You don’t get protected because you’re pleasant. You don’t get protected because you’ve been around.

You get protected because you’re essential to something that matters deeply — to the business, to the board, to the buyer personally.

If your value maps clearly to those high-priority outcomes, you’ll not only survive the cuts — you’ll likely get more budget, more buy-in, and more room to grow.

How to Reposition Yourself as Non-Cuttable

If you want to stay indispensable, it’s not enough to be effective — you need to make your effectiveness visible, strategic, and impossible to overlook.

That means tying everything you do to outcomes the business actually cares about. Not just activity. Not just effort. But impact.

Here’s how to do it:

• Show proof with case studies that speak their language — framed around growth, savings, speed, or protection.
• Use clear before-and-after metrics to highlight transformation.
• Offer ROI calculators or benchmarks to make the numbers real — and to arm your buyer with internal justification tools.

Now layer on your Optional Extras Strategy. These aren’t “nice-to-haves.” When positioned correctly, they become outcome accelerators — tailored options that let the buyer unlock:

• Faster wins — speed to result, speed to market, speed to adoption.
• Smarter execution — through expert support, automation, or insight-driven decision-making.
• Stronger leadership position — by helping them stand out, stay ahead, or operate more decisively.

This aligns with how buyer expectations are evolving:

• 👉 76% of B2B buyers now expect personalised solutions, tailored to their specific and evolving needs. (Drip, 2024)
• 👉 93% of B2B marketers report that data analytics have significantly improved campaign success — the same principle applies to you: your results must be trackable, visual, and specific. (Scopic Studios, 2025)

Shift: You’re not just defending your existence. You’re not asking to be “kept.”

You’re showing why staying with you — and expanding with you — is the smartest strategic move they can make.

You’re not just in the budget. You’re backed by it.

It’s Not About Being “Liked.” It’s About Being Defended.

When budgets shrink, not everything gets cut. But everything gets questioned.

And in that moment of scrutiny, your goal isn’t to avoid being noticed — it’s to be undeniably worth keeping.

Because buyers aren’t actually looking for reasons to cut. They’re looking for clarity on what must stay.

They need to know — quickly, confidently, and with no internal debate — that you belong on the protected list. The shortlist. The “do not touch” pile.

Your job isn’t to be merely tolerated. It’s not enough to be well-liked. And it’s definitely not enough to be “longstanding.”

Your job is to become the partner they fight to protect — because removing you would feel like removing a strategic advantage.

And that status isn’t given. It’s earned — through outcomes, alignment, and a positioning strategy that connects your offer to what matters most.

So prove it — clearly, early, and often. And when the pressure comes? You won’t just survive. You’ll come out with a stronger footing, deeper loyalty, and a clearer path to growth.

📘 Want to learn how to structure offers that buyers fight to keep — even when every dollar is scrutinised? 👉 https://manifesto.coldcalling.co.nz/54557/confidence

Assia Salikhova,

Strategic Sales & Marketing Advisor (who still sells)

Co-Founder, SmarketingLab | Creator of No Rejection. No Objection.™ and the 4Rs Growth Engine™ www.coldcalling.co.nz | www.smarketinglab.co.nz | www.whoiswhere.co.nz