This seemingly insignificant change from “to” to “for” actually hides a change in the way a company’s why is approached. B2B conceived of buyers as passive entities; in B4B, however, companies operate within a community and seek to contribute to the ecosystem, with a vocation of service to their customers. In short, the B4B model is more empathetic, more intentional and closer to the customer.
The ultimate test: are you a B2B or B4B company?
At this point, you might be wondering where your company stands and what you can do to definitively evolve to a B4B model . This test by Mag Rajasekaran can help you find out, so I recommend that you take some time to reflect on these questions.
1) Why are you in this business?
What is the real reason your company exists? To make a profit? To reward shareholders? To earn bonuses?
All companies are different, from SMEs to large multinationals. But in the era of B2B, the vast majority of them had in common that they were created to bring profit to their creators. They were based on an “inside-out” model.
In this traditional model
Senior executives make decisions without considering or listening to the customer’s point of view. But in the age of social media, companies need to have a clear purpose for existing, and that purpose has to be about responding to a real customer need.
Therefore, the best companies in the B4B era are those that operate “from the outside in” , that is, they are based on a user need that justifies their existence. For example, this is the case of Uber, which exists to connect people who want to earn money by driving and people who need a means of transport.
2) Who are your customers and what do they value most?
The only way to know what your customers need is to ask them directly what they are looking for. It seems simple, but it is one of the great challenges for today’s companies.
Customers should be at the heart of your business model, and value should be America Cell Phone Number List through collaboration . One such example is Amazon, “the world’s most customer-centric company,” which is built on connecting sellers and buyers so customers can quickly and easily find anything they want to buy online. And it delivers a high-quality customer experience and service.
3) Is your organization structured to serve customers?
A company’s organization determines
The way it works and can have a major impact on its results
Most B2B companies are organized around investors and shareholders. At the top C Level Contact database management are the CEOs, and the people who actually serve customers are lower down. The result is that companies are often more concerned with satisfying shareholders than serving customers.
B4B companies
On the other hand, are structured around the customer . All resources (administration, sales, shipping) are organized to detect their needs and respond to them as quickly as possible. This type of structure is based on collaboration, openness, and co-creation, not an authoritarian chain of command.
4) Do you create products and services that help your customers?
Product creation is a key difference between B2B and B4B companies: business-to-business creates products and services to sell to customers, while business-for-business companies create products and services based on customer needs. Once again, we see that being able to listen to customers, detect their needs and empathize with them is very important.
