Why Empathy Is the New B2B Success Formula

Digital adaptation in businesses has increased exponentially in the past few years and people are connecting more and more virtually and through online platforms and tools for sales and marketing. However, the need for human connection, human dialogue, and one-on-one communication remains important in today’s competitive b2b market. Technology has facilitated the use of virtual and online communication without having to actually meet face-to-face, eliminating the need for a human connection.  But can businesses survive without human connection? Certainly not!

This blog discusses how one can leverage the power of empathy for the growth of b2b businesses today.

The bright side of technology and tools has made the world a smaller place with instant digital communication, eliminating the time zone and geographical constraints. But the lack of human connection can never get us far ahead in the competition. After all, we are selling to humans and not robots.

There was a time when B2B communication was considered as something devoid of human emotion. However, with evolving b2b landscape, there has been an increase in the need for human connection and emotions in messaging for leads to convert into business.       

Why is there a need to connect emotionally in b2b businesses?

Prospects or leads are human beings after all and they want to know how much the service providers care for their business and understand their challenges. There is a need for empathetic messaging so that prospects feel like they are talking to humans and not just chatbots or any other tool.

So how does one leverage human emotion or human connection in today’s marketing communication?

Address customer needs first

The first step is to recognize that there is a need and that you are more of a problem solver than just a service provider. This will go a long way in building strong relationships. B2B companies need to focus on elevating the customer experience by understanding the real needs of the customer. They need to recalibrate their strategies to customize the solutions as per the needs of the customer.

Incorporate empathy

Empathy is an essential ingredient in today’s b2b sales and marketing communication. It is more than value addition and it should be incorporated through the culture of the organization. Just being customer-centric is not enough; the organization should inculcate empathy towards customers in its core culture. It will then reflect across channels of communication and various other initiatives for better business outcomes and for building long-term relationships with customers.

Invest in thought leadership

Thought leadership allows the top-level executives and business owners to directly connect with the target audience. It sets a tone of openness and shows the audience that everyone in the organization is well aware of customer problems and is willing to participate in solving them.

Thought leadership content can also be an asset in establishing a human connection with customers while providing them with incredible and research-based insights that will change their life in some way or the other.

Conclusion

Every team member across verticals in an organization must understand the importance of a customer-centric mindset and empathetic communication and its impact on the relationship with the customer. Empathy and human connection are essential ingredients of today’s sales and marketing communication strategy and it can bring great results for b2b brands.