For business owners, few aspects are more important than reliability. Entrepreneurs who do not take the time to maximize their credibility will struggle to win favorable terms with suppliers, attract investors, retain existing customers and generate new business. Through personal and annual experience B2B buyer SCAN survey conducted by my company, I have studied how reliability is killed and how to recover.

Below, I'll share seven credibility killers that entrepreneurs should be aware of.

1. Cannot be found through an internet search

After meeting a potential business partner, employer or vendor, the first step many businesspeople take is to conduct a internet search. In our AI-infused world, people want reassurance that they are dealing with a legitimate company and person.

They're looking for information on eligibility and consent, and they're asking themselves: Is this person or company legitimate? Is this someone I want to spend time with and work with? If they can't find you online, your credibility is called into question.

Because many of us have common names, it's worth taking the time to create a unique profile. For example, there are many Lee Smiths in the world, including a very famous baseball pitcher. But I've created my professional profile using C. Lee Smith, which makes it a little easier to find me online.

I also ask my team members to create a professional profile on sites like LinkedIn when they connect to my company. This strategy makes my employees easily findable.

A while ago, we hired a sales professional who kept changing his name on his LinkedIn page. Some days, he used only his first name. The other day he left the fact that he was employed in my company. This behavior is a surefire way to confuse prospects and drive away business. Many of us wondered who he was hiding from, because he certainly wasn't making it easy to find him. That sales professional didn't last long at my company.

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2. Not knowing the prospect's line of business/company

If you're hoping to pitch your product or service to another organization, avoid this opening line: “Tell me about your business.”

This statement shows the prospect that you haven't bothered to research them. It's clear you don't understand their business problems or how your solution can help them.

As an entrepreneur, you are the main salesperson for your organization. B2B buyers I don't want to educate the seller. They expect the seller to know about their line of business. Our research shows that 46% of surveyed B2B buyers ask how many years of experience a salesperson has in their industry. Unfortunately, 65% of sellers don't even check the buyer's website before making their offer.

If you don't have specific experience in the prospect's line of business, do your homework. Start following the trends in their industry. Comment on other people's LinkedIn posts about the industry. Being supportive, rather than self-serving, will increase your credibility.

3. Not being responsible

Decision makers are busy people. They may not immediately turn to a potential buyer or business partner. As they prioritize their day-to-day activity, for example, they may let the top candidate for an open position wait a day before returning a call.

As a seller, you have to put up with this kind of buyer behavior. But buyers will not tolerate it from you.

When you ignore their outreach, you're letting them know they're not important to you. With this attitude, you will find it difficult to succeed.

4. Pressure for a decision

Many entrepreneurs are pushy and impatient. But when that impatience leads to rushing a decision maker, you start to lose credibility.

Your teasing smacks of desperation, showing that you only care about yourself or need to get things over with quickly before new information comes to light. In fact, 38% of B2B buyers have told us that pushy salespeople can be a deal breaker.

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5. Posting objectionable content or online misconduct

Your online profiles can destroy any credibility you may have built up with prospects. You should be especially careful with your LinkedIn presence. I ask my employees to keep theirs personal social media profiles separate from their professional lists. They are instructed to avoid listing our company name or website on their personal social media.

This rule came about after one of my best friends was considering using a real estate agent in her hometown. While the agent's bio page looked professional, this individual's X feed was filled with obscene and explicit content that was highly offensive. She quickly decided to switch to another agent.

To protect your credibility, consider using a personal social media profile that is not associated with your full name. Even then, tone down your online remarks. You can respectfully disagree with another person and continue to express your opinion.

6. Working with a reputable company – or having done so in the past

Half of B2B buyers make it clear they won't even take a call or meet with someone associated with a business that's been in the news for all the wrong reasons, either currently or in a previous job.

If you have had a professional relationship in the past with a reputable company, don't try to cover it up. A determined buyer will find evidence of what you want to hide. A better strategy is to be aggressive damage control. I recommend developing a sharing history.

For example, you might say that as soon as you found out about the trouble, you started looking for a new job. Or you could point out that if you had known what was going on, you would never have accepted a position with the company.

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7. Poor treatment of support staff

When I'm vetting a potential employee, vendor, or business partner, I like to see how they behave in a non-professional setting. I ask them to meet me at a restaurant if they are in town.

I arrive early and ask the head of the house to observe the behavior of my lunch companion. If I learn that the person is rude to employees who are on the bus or waiting tables, I have an indication of their attitude toward people in service roles. Rudeness is a problemand I don't want arrogance to reflect badly on me.

Remember that your visibility to an organization begins the moment you interact with anyone on staff. Any negative behavior will work its way up the chain of command. Simply put, treating your support staff poorly will not build your credibility with decision makers.

Entrepreneurs face an endless list of tasks. Despite the daily challenges you must address, building and maintaining credibility it is too important to be overlooked. A small mistake can require the investment of additional time and energy to restore your lost credibility.