A few weeks ago I was asked to contribute my thoughts to an article on B2B (business-to-business) email marketing.

I thought I'd check out what others were saying on the topic and came across this humdinger from one of the world's biggest CRM companies on what they think is the difference between B2C (business-to-consumer) customers and B2B customers…

My assumption, based on their advice, is that they're either living on a different planet or perhaps have just never actually met a business-to-business customer in the flesh.

This idea that somehow people check in their emotions at the door when they enter the workplace is as pervasive as it is muddle-headed.

Of course, business-to-business buying decisions tend to be bigger. But if anything, that means there are more emotions involved, particularly fear.

I'm sure you've seen many, many cases where the “logical” and “financially best” solution lost out to an alternative that was seen by buyers as being less personally risky.

And business-to-business purchases tend to involve multiple people. meaning that politics and personal rivalries rise to the fore too.

So of course, logic and finance are important for business-to-business decision-making. But don't let anyone, even huge companies who should know better, tell you that emotions aren't vital too.

When you're marketing to businesses, you're not marketing to the business itself. You're marketing to human beings who work in that business.

And just because they work for a business doesn’t mean they leave their humanity, their emotions or their sense of humour at the door. Far too much business-to-business marketing is bland and corporate and devoid of personality and interest. As a result, the human beings on the receiving end just ignore it.

As a small or solo business you have the tremendous advantage that you can afford to be different, to take a few risks to actually be funny or angry or joyful in your marketing. 

Stuff a big company either wouldn't dare to do or would water down through endless committees.

You can talk to potential clients like they're real emotional human beings, not logic and finance-driven robots.

That's a huge advantage you have over bland corporates and the people who believe the nonsense about corporate buyers being all rational and emotionless.

Use it!