There is no such thing as B2B (business to business). Everything is B2C (Business to consumer).

It is obvious if you stop to think about it. And I believe in doing what’s obvious.

Imagine you run Business A. You supply widgets to Business B, who in turn supplies them to its customers, DIY enthusiasts.

How can you convince Business B to buy more of your widgets? You could say they are cheaper than your competitors or you can deliver them faster. That would work until your competitor caught up with you.

A better option would be to convince Business B that its customers prefer your widgets.

In all your communication, you can go beyond Business B and reach out to its customers. You can talk to them in a way that is emotive, empathetic, exciting etc. If you limit yourself to just talking to Business B you will be forced to be rational. And as we have seen elsewhere, emotions drive behaviour.

A good analogy is politics. If you are a pressure group that wants politicians to make a change, your best option is to garner support among voters, who are politicians’ real customers. They are the folks that politicians listen to.

While B2B marketing seems the obvious thing to do, in fact, it makes it very hard for you to stand out. By communicating “through” the middleman to their customers, you can move the dial.

In the world of marketing, B2B does not exist. Everything begins and ends with the customer.

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About the author

My name is Andy Pemberton. I am an expert in data visualization. I guide global clients such as Lombard Odier, the European Commission and Cisco on the best way to use data visualization and then produce it for them: reports, infographics and motion graphics. If you need your data visualized contact me at andy@furthr.co.uk or call 07963 020 103

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