Selling B2H: Business to Human

by Benj Miller | Jan 26, 2021

A question we often get from customers marketing and selling B2B is, “does brand really matter as much in B2B?” The answer is very complex. Just kidding. The answer is 100%! But let me break it down.

You are selling to humans.

A company can not buy from you. There is a person involved that makes the decision that they need what you are selling and you are the right company and person to deliver it.

Humans are emotional. Buying is an emotional process.

We want to buy from a person and company that makes us feel good about being in business with them. They are the best/coolest/smartest/friendliest/most effective… So we need brands that tell that story and make those human buyers FEEL like we’re the right choice for them. We all want a little sizzle with our steak.

Humans are logical. Buying is a logical process.

A human’s primary objective is self-preservation. Unfortunately, the self-preservation of a person to keep their job and maintain status quo is a primary driver. We are driven to not make mistakes. As such, we need brands that breathe the calm of great reputation, durability, sustainability, and reliability. We also need to know that we are not being taken advantage of – that the value proposition, value, and costs are all in alignment. The brand may sizzle, but it’s because it’s a great steak.

There are a lot of cases in the B2B space where companies have grown despite little to no branding efforts (an acronym for a name and a logo made in Microsoft Word circa the mid-1990s). It happens way more than in the B2C space, but think about the strategic advantage of investing in that brand. I personally wouldn’t want to go work for a company with a crappy logo – it would reflect poorly on me. I wouldn’t want it on my LinkedIn, and I for sure wouldn’t want it embroidered on a polo.

We are always selling… and it is only humans buying.