When did B2B marketing become so functional?

After working across B2B and B2C brands for 10 years, I get that they’re totally different. But we often forget one thing - at the core of every B2B purchase sits an actual person (well… for now!)

Yes, that person is hidden under layers of business process, committees, procurement, risk assessments, and “can you just run this past finance?” And yes, the purchase is based on a business need, not a want. Unlike B2C where nobody needs another pair of jeans or a slightly different shampoo, but we buy them anyway.

But even in B2B, we’re still trying to engage and persuade a person. They don’t want to be talked at, they want to be understood. They want help making a smart decision. We should be telling them;

• Which problem our sparkly new solution actually solves
• How it’ll make their business better or job easier
• And (probably most importantly) how will it make them look to their colleagues and/or bosses

When we understand both the business need and the human drivers behind it, everything changes.

What's the human-first approach to B2B marketing?

1. Personalisation - but not stalking.
   Tailored, relevant, respectful. Not creepy intent-data overreach.
2. Engage at an emotional level - don’t just shout.
   There’s buckets of research that shows emotional messaging is far more effective than product-only claims. To put a number on it, LinkedIn’s B2B Institute shows campaigns that tap emotion are up to 7× more effective than product-only messaging.
3. Understand why - not just rave about how good you are.
   Tap into the buyer’s real motivations and pressures.
4. Be genuinely helpful.
   Give them what they need to “sell in” internally — give them templates to use as examples, clarity on what you’re offering, and confidence in the benefits you can give them.
5. And finally… cut the BS.
   Be honest. Be real. No one wants to be sold a dream you can’t deliver. We can all spot a 70s salesman from a mile away.

In summary

None of this is rocket science. But it does require patience. Relationship-building takes time, and with the mounting pressure of targets and deadlines, the fallback is tactical advertising, AKA an email screaming ‘BUY NOW’ in vain hope someone, somewhere, succumbs to the noise.

Sure, that might get you a sale. But I’d bet money the deal would’ve been worth double if you’d actually nurtured the relationship and engaged the buyer as a human being first. So, in short… Be human first. Build trust; the deals (and the relationships) will follow.