Subject category:
Marketing
Published by:
Harvard Business Publishing
Version: 26 February 2014
Length: 30 pages
Data source: Published sources
Abstract
'Business-to-Business Marketing' provides a comprehensive review of the fundamental concepts and theories related to aspects of business-to-business (B2B) marketing. B2B marketing refers to exchanges of goods and services between institutions rather than to individuals or end consumers. Compared to business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers, B2B marketers face distinct challenges rooted in the nature and needs of customers' buying criteria, purchasing processes, and strategic considerations. This reading discusses five core elements of B2B marketing: 1) Links between business-to-business marketing and business strategy, 2) The impact of market and account selection, 3) The complexity of buyer behavior, 4) The need to understand and communicate buyer benefits, and 5) The importance of organizational alignment. The reading includes an Interactive Illustration, 'The Benefit Stack and the Decision-Maker Stack', which analyzes the motivations (often competing) of the many decision-makers involved in a B2B purchase.
About
Abstract
'Business-to-Business Marketing' provides a comprehensive review of the fundamental concepts and theories related to aspects of business-to-business (B2B) marketing. B2B marketing refers to exchanges of goods and services between institutions rather than to individuals or end consumers. Compared to business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers, B2B marketers face distinct challenges rooted in the nature and needs of customers' buying criteria, purchasing processes, and strategic considerations. This reading discusses five core elements of B2B marketing: 1) Links between business-to-business marketing and business strategy, 2) The impact of market and account selection, 3) The complexity of buyer behavior, 4) The need to understand and communicate buyer benefits, and 5) The importance of organizational alignment. The reading includes an Interactive Illustration, 'The Benefit Stack and the Decision-Maker Stack', which analyzes the motivations (often competing) of the many decision-makers involved in a B2B purchase.