B2B is broken. But are we ready for it to change?

It occurred to me on publishing our new website and news pages that many of you wouldn't know the backstory of Handshakr and why I felt compelled to start this venture. So to christen our new website news page and socials here's how it all started;

At the end of 2019, after nearly 20 years in B2B sales, I sat on a redeye flight ready to take off from Newark to London following less than 36 hours in the USA. This was one flight too many for my family and me at this stage, after many weeks of global business travel, countless meetings and a serious lack of sleep, things needed to change. I've since realised it was much more than that, though. I wanted to change things.

My return flight was the usual frequent business traveller experience; rushed, cramped and a sleep-deprived fog but with one exception, I was sat next to an incredibly interesting fellow business traveller who looked as dishevelled and gin-soaked as I did on my boarding the plane. Our first interaction was an awkward economy bulkhead armrest battle that neither of us won but actually served as an icebreaker for both to introduce ourselves. This chance encounter kicked off a lengthy and animated discussion about the world of B2B and why it was so difficult for technology innovators to get traction and why buyers were so hamstrung by their lack of reach and buying processes.

We talked until the rubbery chicken or pasta dishes were cleared away, and both weary travellers had succumbed to the time difference and long hours—after landing, a handshake and parting of ways at the baggage carousel.

My discussion with my fellow business traveller highlighted the fact that B2B was broken and I wasn't the only person thinking this way, so I wasn't a madman. It was far too difficult for businesses to be seen and heard even with all of the digital ways we can sound off these days.

It didn't matter how big or small the businesses were either; my fellow traveller had the same problems I did in a startup, but he worked for a global player. So we're on to an itch that not only I need scratching, but some random person I met briefly in B2B has too. Time to investigate further, on both sides of the equation. Through the early part of 2020, I took to the phones and talked to as many contacts that I have successfully closed deals with, and I talked with those that slipped the net as well. It seems buyers know things aren't right too. Long buying cycles, complex bureaucratic processes and vast numbers of stakeholders destroying many promising initiatives and deals.

It's an open secret then. We all know it's broken. B2B is broken.

Is it too difficult to fix? Is it like this for a reason? What could we do to make things better?

We have set out to challenge the status quo and shakes things up. At Handshakr, we believe B2B should be about “what you know” rather than “who you know”, and most certainly not about how much you spend on marketing to be seen and heard. Our Business Relationship Management software will provide B2B connections, 1:1 engagement and bilateral collaboration in a single platform. It's B2B for the digital age, without the grind and expense.

The launch of our brand new website and our news pages represent a significant milestone for Handshakr, given our past experiences in B2B, the people we have met, that flight late 2019 and all that is going on in the world today have only cemented our commitment to make a difference in this space.

While we are building our software, we will concentrate on delivering engaging content to our community of early adopters and potential customers regularly.

Keep a lookout for:

• Our brand new weekly video podcast interviewing execs on both buy and sell-side of B2B.
• Our bi-weekly topical and candid blog posts
• A live B2B community video wall, you'll be able to sign up and post your own promotional B2B content. Coming soon.
• And finally, quarterly events to bring everyone together.

Yours in business (B2B),

Leon - Founder & CEO - Handshakr

We help businesses find and forge relationships that matter.