"B2B": Buddy-to-Buddy instead of Business-to-Business!
When companies do business with other companies, we usually speak of B2B, which is short for business-to-business. If, instead, products are sold by a company to private individuals, or consumers in general, this is referred to as B2C, business-to-consumer. Whether a company markets variant 1 or 2 products has a huge impact on almost all areas: sales, marketing, product management, etc.
Especially in the former departments, the differences seem obvious: Buying processes in B2B are potentially much more complicated and therefore much more time-consuming. The decision-making processes are protracted, e.g. due to contract negotiations, and legal components may have to be taken into account, such as approval procedures. In B2B marketing, it is usually necessary to address more technical or niche-oriented target groups. Marketing is often more factual and direct.
In recent years, the trend has become noticeable, especially in marketing, that the differences between B2B and B2C are becoming more and more blurred. It is noticeable that in B2B marketing, more and more aspects and procedures are being adopted from B2C marketing. This starts with the presentation of products and services, which is becoming more and more digital in B2B today. The tonality moves away from strict formality and becomes more modern and, above all, more relaxed. The trend is towards an approachable appearance and more authenticity.
My impression in the recent past is that this trend has now finally found its way into sales. Here, too, an authentic and somewhat more informal appearance beats a rather conservative style. It is actually quite clear: even in B2B, it is ultimately people who interact with each other, and so emotions are automatically involved and our reflexes regarding sympathy and trust towards our interlocutors influence our actions. Of course, it involuntarily has an effect on a decision-making process whether I consider my counterpart to be authentic, because then I trust his statements. When I buy, I automatically trust more whether the advertised product really delivers what is promised. When I sell, I have an impression of whether my counterpart has real buying intentions or not. Ultimately, in B2B, of course, there will continue to be the hard fact check in sales when making a purchase decision and, of course, legal framework conditions can further prolong the buying process, but also supported by digitalization and the associated possibility of being able to try out products at short notice and for a short period of time, methods from sales in the B2C context, can also be successfully used in the B2B sector. And if you like each other and can look into each other's eyes without blinking, you're more likely to close a deal. Business-to-business then becomes buddy-to-buddy.