Bye-bye B2B! Hello ‘B2P’: The Business-to-People Approach
Business-to-business sales and marketing far too often feels robotic, with companies relying on automated processes and hiding behind technology. But remember that sales and marketing are all about psychology in the end, so it’s always important to recognise that you are communicating with another human on the other side. Perhaps we should call it the H2H – human to human – approach!
Here are some ways to transform your B2B strategy into a B2P/H2H approach:
Let emotion lead.
Tone is so important when it comes to selling your services. Ultimately, your clients need to trust in you completely, and that can only be done if you are genuine, honest, and human.
Consider why you’ve ever signed up for a service: because it helps fix a problem. Now, put yourself in your client’s shoes and analyse how you can make their life easier. That’s the type of communication that will build a bridge between each of you.
Conflict can be okay.
Scepticism is one of the biggest barriers when it comes to B2B relationships. But by addressing issues of trust and being entirely transparent about your available resources, skill level, capabilities, and results, you can prove to the human on the other side of the relationship that they can trust you.
Discuss not only your strengths but also be open about your weaknesses to form that trust that each of you needs in your B2P relationship. Apologise when things don’t go as expected, but also keep in mind that by effectively managing expectations, each of you will be more satisfied with the process and the end result.
Work with the entire team.
This shouldn’t really need to be said, but we will anyway: communicate with all members of your clients’ teams equally. You’re not just working for the CEO, and if you don’t show respect and interest in the whole organisation, the overall relationship could suffer.
Align your B2P sales strategy with your marketing messages.
Do people buy because of a brand name or logo design? Unlikely. However, your brand should be consistent from how you speak to your clients to the messages you’re putting out in marketing materials and online.
For example, technical details can be quite important, but all your communication needs to be accessible and human. Being too formal and overly technical might not help your customers relate to you – instead, use empathetic language that speaks to their challenges and offers a clear solution.
