B2B is Dead. Long live P2P.
I’ve been saying for some time that there is no such thing as B2B or B2C only P2P (Person to Person)
These are some extracts from a blog by Rick Segal in Forbes Magazine (original here: http://blogs.forbes.com/gyro/2011/06/16/b-to-b-has-ceased-to-be/) that say it much better:
B2B has ceased to be.
Death was inevitable when people began carrying their telecommunications and computing power with them. From that point “The Firm” lost its place as the organizing principle of business marketing.
If we really want to influence business decisions, from now on we have to reach and persuade the real seat of power, the individual. The customer is not a corporate entity, but an independently minded, highly connected, always-emotional human being. This individual is not only ascendant, but empowered and amplified.
Ninety percent of business decision making is emotional.
The new arena for business communications is now far bigger than the workplace. This is because work is no longer a place, but a state of mind. The connectedness of modern life sees no boundaries between work and home. It’s all part of the work-life continuum.
If we want to reach, persuade and engage business decision makers, we need to understand this “@ Work State of Mind” as completely and intimately as we can, so that we can ignite the emotions that cause decision-makers to shout, “Yes!”
Posted in 12 Steps to Success | 
Tags: B2b, Boundaries Between Work, Business Communications, Business Decision Makers, Business Decisions, Business Marketing, Computing Power, Connectedness, Corporate Entity, Decision Making, Emotions, Extracts, Forbes Magazine, Gyro, Life Continuum, Nbsp, No Boundaries, P2p, Person To Person, Real Seat, Rick Segal
Isn't this a 'both and' argument rather than 'either or'? To me there's b2b/b2c and there's p2p. But they are used to describe different things.
There's always been p2p that's never gone away because it's the person that connects one business to another but in doing so a business is doing business with another business and thus b2b.
@GaryDickenson I think the B&C is useful in distinguishing between business and consumer customers but isn't it always the case that a person has to understand and communicate with another person in order to do business. Even in a supermarket where we are removed from the people who make the decisions about what goes on the shelves, it is still 'people' selling to other people and when your business gets a business client the transaction is always between two or more people representing those businesses.
Why do you say that "90% of business decisions are emotional"? As a large ticket B2B sales guy, I dont find that is the case at all.
Bruce Crain
