Two sides of the same coin: How Gen X & BETA buyers respond to four core behavioural biases

We like to pretend that B2B buyers are hyper-rational creatures. They line up the numbers, tick off the risk assessments, and then – finally – choose the most ‘sensible’ option. Except that’s not really how it works, is it? 

When you zoom in on real decision-making, it looks a lot less like a spreadsheet and a lot more like human psychology at play. Biases. Instincts. Mental shortcuts. They all sneak into the room, even when millions of pounds are on the line.

That’s what The Yes Advantage research uncovers. But it also shows us something else that’s crucial for B2B marketers: Gen X and BETA buyers don’t just share the same biases in the same way. They respond differently to the very same cues.

So, if you’re still running one-size-fits-all messaging, you’re not just wasting space. You’re leaving trust and attention on the table. Let’s walk through four clear examples: the Red Sneakers Effect, Make It Easy, the Illusion of Effort, and Tailored Social Proof to see what each has to tell us about how these two generations tick.

The Red Sneakers Effect: Do more than stand out

There’s a reason we all know about Steve Jobs’ turtleneck or Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie. Breaking convention doesn’t always make you look worse for wear. Sometimes it makes you look powerful. That’s the Red Sneakers Effect: the idea that visible nonconformity signals confidence and competence.

In our study into the bias, we found that a CEO presenting in a sharp suit was rated as competent, trustworthy, and respectful by just over half of buyers (54%). Switch the suit for a casual t-shirt and sneakers, and suddenly 81% said the same. Innovation scores jumped from 47% to 67% too. That’s a 50% uplift in credibility, just by swapping clothes.

Now here’s where it gets interesting:

• BETA buyers were all for it. They actually rated a casually dressed junior IT developer higher than a suited CEO. Translation: they don’t care about hierarchy. They care about authenticity and ideas
• Gen X buyers weren’t buying it to the same extent. For them, a suit still carries weight. Formality equals professionalism  

And this isn’t really about fashion; it’s about how you present your brand. BETAs reward originality, unpolished thought-leadership – even a bit of rule-breaking. Gen X still associates polish with credibility. The lesson? For Gen X, authority looks traditional. For BETAs, authority looks human.

Make It Easy: Why simplicity sells 

Cognitive fluency is a fancy term for something obvious: the easier something is to understand, the more we trust it. In B2B, marketing loves to flex its jargon muscles. That’s why making it easy is a big deal.

Our research put it to the test. Same email, three variations. One dense and jargon-heavy; one split into bullet points; and one simplified and bulleted. The recall rates tell us everything we need to know:

• Dense: 37%
• Bullet points: 51%
• Simple + bullets: 56%

Buyers exposed to the simpler version were also 64% more likely to click through. In other words: complexity kills engagement. But again, the generational split is what really matters:

• BETA buyers were transformed by simplicity. Recall jumped from 14% to 46% with clean copy, and nearly everyone (98%) remembered features when phrased simply
  
  
• Gen X buyers shrugged. 85% remembered features in dense copy vs. 83% in simplified copy. They’ve been decoding complexity for decades. For them, detail feels normal, maybe even reassuring

So, if BETAs are in your sights, strip it back. Short sentences. Human words. Clarity that feels consumer-grade. If you’re targeting Gen X, you can keep more depth without scaring them off.

Put simply: for BETAs, clarity is non-negotiable. For Gen X, it’s just nice to have.

The Illusion of Effort: Show your work

This one can seem like a paradox. We just said simplicity matters, and it does. But visible effort matters too. Buyers trust things more when they can see the work that went into it. Our experiment told buyers three different origin stories for the same ad:

• “Created in 10 minutes with AI.” → 38% trusted the brand
• “One week by a London team.” → 48% trusted it
• “Three months with a London team and a Japanese origami expert.” → 59% trusted it

Same ad, different effort cues. Despite that, trust lifted 55% purely because people thought more work had gone into it. And, surprise surprise, BETAs cared more.

• BETA buyers: 70% liked the high-effort version vs. only 38% for the AI one. For them, effort equals authenticity
• Gen X buyers: split right down the middle. 48% liked low effort, 49% liked high effort. They’re outcome-focused. Did it work? Great. Did it take a while to create? Who particularly cares

This is a warning shot for the AI age. BETA buyers want to know that humans were involved, that someone cared enough to put in the work. Don’t be shy about showing your work. Talk about prototypes, testing cycles, and version counts. Share the ‘making of’. BETA buyers reward transparency. Gen X might not need it, but they won’t mind it either.

Tailored Social Proof: Someone like me 

Social proof is marketing 101: if others are using it, it must be good. But in B2B, the kind of proof matters a lot. The numbers speak for themselves:

• No proof: only 30% of buyers rated the solution as high quality
• Generic proof: not much better
• Tailored proof (endorsements from their industry or country) shot up to 50%. Trust also rose from 47% to 67%

Again, a huge lift from making proof feel relevant. And the generational split? Predictable but powerful:

• BETA buyers: Their likelihood to visit a brand’s site jumped from 29% (no proof) to 52% (country-tailored) and 48% (industry-tailored). They want to see “someone like me”
• Gen X buyers: Moved less (31% to 38%). They’re more swayed by big-picture credibility than hyper-specific tailoring

This makes sense if you think about it. BETAs grew up in peer-driven digital worlds. They don’t just want to know that “lots of companies” use you. They want to know that people in their role, their industry, their geography trust you. Gen X, on the other hand, values the broad brushstrokes: established reputation, long-term credibility, big-name endorsements.

For marketers, the play is clear: tailor your proof when you’re aiming at BETAs, and showcase big names when you’re aiming at Gen X.

The short of it all 

Put these four biases together, and you see two general operating systems at work between both generations:

• BETA buyers reward nonconformity, simplicity, visible effort, and tailored proof
• Gen X buyers respond to convention, detail, utility, and broad credibility

Neither group is more ‘rational’. Both are biased, just differently. And that’s the opportunity. If you’re still treating ‘the buyer’ as one monolithic block, you’re missing the chance to create sharper, more impactful marketing. A Gen X CFO and a BETA marketing manager won’t process your pitch in the same way. Stop engaging them like they will.

The lesson is simple: rational arguments might earn you a seat at the table. But it’s bias-influenced creativity that gets you chosen.

Get The Yes Advantage for your business by reading the full report here!