The Future of Business to Business Marketing - Op-ed

Hassan El-Khawaga

By Sherif Makhlouf

The B2B marketplace is being transformed by digital and mobile technologies. There is a fundamental change in the way where B2B buyers consume content, as part of a technological revolution.

They now have adequate knowledge about a product before its purchase or any interaction with the salespeople.

The internet has empowered today’s buyers; perhaps, they do not have to depend on sales as a basic source of information at the beginning of their purchase journey.

On any condition, they expect a more seamless and transparent buying experience all through. The alignment of marketing and sales is more crucial than ever before.

"To achieve this alignment, we need to be able to overcome significant barriers in culture. We also need to transform completely, the marketing and sales model."

As a result of our close work with many B2B leaders as well as the outcome of recent interviews we conducted with +300 CEOs of top Egyptian businesses has shown the need for a complete transformation in the way B2B companies engage customers, their data and technology usage, and the acquisition of new skills.

From our experience, businesses that apply these new methods and techniques were able to achieve great results, including efficiencies in marketing, which improved by 15% to 30%.

A digitally engaged B2B buyer has emerged out there. They are more adept in online research and transactions. The top B2C leaders which include Amazon, Uber, and Netflix have shaped the experiences and expectations of the new buyers.

When performing business-related transactions, they look forward to a similar online experience. Companies need to master the art of engaging their customers, or they will lose many great opportunities.

Marketing plays a major role in the customer’s buying journey. Although the marketing and sales integration may vary by company and their customer’s size. For a big enterprise account, we will continue to see the importance of a dedicated account team that specializes in sales.

Digital marketing is vital in the starting stages of the purchase or buying journey. Content helps to generate awareness related to marketing, they should be compelling and attractive. B2B Organizations are finding it difficult to change the way they work however, they may pay a continuous price.

Marketing is also becoming more content-driven, especially when generating awareness and driving consideration for buyers while they are doing their early research.

I believe the big problem for most companies is that marketing and sales operate in different silos, each function having its organization, and processes, and most importantly in many times goals and incentives.

It is difficult for B2B organizations to change long-standing practices and ways of working. But the price of not changing grows up.