Humanizing B2B

Stop selling features and start telling human-centric stories.

The meteor is coming...

There is a giant piece of molten rock heading your way. It’s big, it’s scary, and it’s going to have a catastrophic effect on your profession.

But what can you do to stop it?

That's how the cofounders of the award-winning business-to-business (B2B) marketing agency Rooster Punk, Paul Cash and James Trezona, open their opus on B2B marketing (or “beeeee-to-beeeee” as my 20-year-old son likes to say it), Humanizing B2B: The New Truth in Marketing That Will Transform Your Brand and Your Sales. The "meteor" is a metaphor for the inevitable and drastic changes impacting the B2B marketing landscape.?

The book is not only a must-read for B2B “marketeers,” as our friends across the pond say it, but a must-listen because of the narrator's bloody brilliant British accent. It’s equal parts entertaining and educational.?

Humanizing B2B proposes a new approach to B2B marketing with a five-point manifesto:

1. Focus on people, not products: People make buying decisions, so understand their needs and challenges.
2. Develop a clear and actionable purpose: Why does your company exist beyond just making money? (See Simon Sinek’s Start With Why.)
3. Embrace the power of emotion: Connect with customers emotionally to build trust and loyalty.
4. Become genuinely likable: Create a brand personality with which people want to do business.
5. Master the art of storytelling: Use stories to connect with customers and communicate your message effectively.

The book cites Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman’s study that found 95% of our purchase decision-making occurs in the subconscious mind. Cash and Trezona believe that people buy on emotion and justify with facts. B2B marketing is like the wings of a bird. You need both types of messages to fly. Put another way, as I’ve said for years, B2B marketing doesn’t need to be boring.

The authors add that the customer should be the hero when telling stories. Take the opening paragraph of our agency’s brand story, for example:

Revel believes in marketing that gets results. We believe strategy is foundational, research and planning are invaluable and strong, authentic branding is absolutely essential. We look at the big picture, we make a plan, and we deliver the right message to the right audience to build brands, generate leads, and attract employees that grow our client’s businesses. Guaranteed.

The benefit our agency provides is clear, but what if we rewrote it with the customer as the hero? That might sound like this:

Savvy business leaders like you understand the power of marketing that delivers. At Revel, we're your secret weapon. We see the big picture, craft strategic plans, and conduct meticulous research to identify the perfect audience for your brand's authentic message. With Revel by your side, you'll attract top talent, generate qualified leads, and watch your business flourish. Growth is within reach. Let's make it happen.

How do we avoid the meteor barreling down on us as B2B marketers? By shifting our focus from features and benefits to people, tapping into the target audience on a human level, and applying what we see in B2C advertising—emotion, humor, and memorable stories—we can help companies achieve greater success and, frankly, have more fun. Sign me up.?