How B2B Decision-Makers Use Perplexity to Evaluate Your Solutions

A procurement director opens Perplexity: "Compare the best [your category] solutions for a mid-size industrial company."

In 30 seconds, they have a structured comparison. With sources. Your competitor is there. You're not.

The deal might already be lost.

Perplexity: The Decision-Maker's Search Engine

Why Perplexity Appeals to B2B

1. Sources are visible

Unlike ChatGPT which synthesizes without always citing, Perplexity shows its sources. For B2B decision-makers used to justifying choices, this is crucial.

2. Research is structured

Perplexity organizes information professionally:

• Key points first
• Structured comparisons
• Nuances and limitations mentioned

3. Time is optimized

Research that took 2 hours on Google takes 5 minutes on Perplexity. For a busy decision-maker, that's a major gain.

Typical B2B Uses

Discovery phase:

• "What is a [concept/solution]?"
• "[Sector] trends 2025"
• "Common [process] problems"

Evaluation phase:

• "Best [category] for [use case]"
• "[Solution A] vs [Solution B] comparison"
• "Alternatives to [market leader]"

Validation phase:

• "Reviews of [company]"
• "[Company] customer problems"
• "[Company] references in [X] sector"

The B2B Buying Journey via Perplexity

Stage 1: Need Identification

The decision-maker explores the problem:

Query: "How to improve [process] in an industrial SME?"

What Perplexity responds:

• Problem description
• Possible solutions
• First solution category mentions

Your stake: Be mentioned from this awareness phase.

Stage 2: Solution Exploration

The decision-maker compares options:

Query: "[Category] solution comparison for industry"

What Perplexity responds:

• List of main players
• Each one's strengths/weaknesses
• Relative positioning

Your stake: Be in the top 3-5 cited with differentiated positioning.

Stage 3: Deep Evaluation

The decision-maker digs into shortlisted options:

Query: "[Your brand] B2B customer reviews"

What Perplexity responds:

• Customer feedback synthesis
• Recurring strengths
• Mentioned problems
• Successful use cases

Your stake: Have positive sources dominate.

Stage 4: Final Validation

The decision-maker verifies before deciding:

Query: "[Your brand] vs [competitor] for [specific case]"

What Perplexity responds:

• Direct comparison
• Key differentiators
• Contextual recommendation

Your stake: Be recommended for your strong use case.

Sources Perplexity Uses

High-Authority Sources

Perplexity prioritizes:

Media and publications:

• Recognized sector sites
• Professional publications
• Business media

Expert content:

• Established company blogs
• Studies and reports
• Technical documentation

Social proof:

• Reviews on recognized platforms (G2, Capterra for SaaS)
• Published testimonials
• Case studies

Secondary Sources

Less systematically but sometimes cited:

• LinkedIn (viral posts, company profiles)
• Specialized forums
• Reddit (for some tech topics)

Rarely Cited Sources

• Purely commercial content
• Product pages without substance
• Generic press releases

B2B GEO Strategy for Perplexity

Pillar 1: Exist on the Right Sources

Presence audit:

1. List the 10 sources Perplexity cites most in your market
2. Check your presence on each
3. Identify gaps

Priority actions:

• Contribute to sector publications
• Get mentions in guides/comparisons
• Be listed on B2B review platforms

Pillar 2: Clarify Positioning

Perplexity synthesizes. If your positioning is fuzzy, the synthesis will be fuzzy.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What's your differentiator in one sentence?
• For what use case are you THE solution?
• What distinguishes you from the market leader?

Ensure these answers are clear across all your sources.

Pillar 3: Feed the Proof

Perplexity values proof:

Proof to generate:

• Published case studies (not downloadable PDFs, indexable web pages)
• Named customer testimonials
• Verifiable result metrics
• Recognition and certifications

Pillar 4: Monitor and Adjust

Strategic B2B Queries

Discovery Queries

• "What is a [your category]"
• "[Category] definition business"
• "Why use [solution type]"

Comparison Queries

• "Best [category] 2025"
• "Top [category] for [sector]"
• "[Category] comparison SME"
• "[Leader] vs alternatives"

Brand Queries

• "[Your name] reviews"
• "[Your name] vs [competitor]"
• "[Your name] pricing"
• "[Your name] customer cases"

Problem Queries

• "Solution for [problem you solve]"
• "How to solve [customer issue]"
• "Tools for [process]"

Measuring Impact

Direct KPIs

Perplexity visibility:

• % of queries where you're cited
• Position in recommendation lists
• Citation frequency of sources mentioning you

Sentiment:

• Mention tone (positive, neutral, negative)
• Verbatims used
• Comparison vs competitors

Indirect KPIs

Business signals:

• Leads mentioning "saw your name on Perplexity"
• Increase in brand searches
• Incoming lead quality (better qualified because pre-informed)

Concrete Example: B2B SaaS Vendor

Initial Situation

Company: Management software vendor for industrial SMEs Problem: Invisible on Perplexity despite 10 years in business

Query testing:

Diagnosis

Sources analyzed by Perplexity:

• Capterra, G2 (present but with few reviews)
• Sector sites (absent)
• Industry media (not mentioned)

Actions Taken

1. G2/Capterra: Customer review collection campaign
2. Trade press: 3 articles/interviews in 6 months
3. Case studies: 5 cases published on site (dedicated pages, not PDFs)
4. Blog: Expert content on industrial production issues

Results at 6 Months

Business impact:

• +40% incoming leads
• 12% of leads mention having consulted an AI
• Sales cycle reduced by 15% (better-informed prospects)

Conclusion

Perplexity is becoming an essential tool in the B2B buying journey. Decision-makers use it to save time, compare objectively, and validate choices.

For B2B companies, the stake is clear:

• Be present on sources Perplexity cites
• Have clear, differentiated positioning
• Generate verifiable proof

Those who prepare now are taking a significant lead in their market.