B2B Is Still a Relationship Business

Don’t get confused by new tech automation.

Thomas List presenting to clients

In our rush to scale, automate, and excitement about AI, many B2B tech and marketing firms have forgotten something fundamental: B2B is still a relationship-driven business.

This is especially true when selling complex, high-value services to senior buyers. No automation or high-volume email campaign will replace the trust and credibility needed to win over a CFO, CIO, or Chief Transformation Officer. These are serious people, making serious decisions – and they’re not going to respond to mass marketing. They need conversations with peers, not clicks from sequences.

Why Spray-and-Pray Doesn’t Work Anymore

For years, B2B marketing teams have relied on tactics borrowed from SaaS growth playbooks: mass email outreach, webinars, cold InMails, lead magnets, MQLs, and funnels. These tactics do have a place, but not when you’re trying to influence executive stakeholders in enterprise or mid-market organisations.

The fact is: if you're selling a £50K+ service engagement, or any advisory-led transformation, your buyer isn’t going to be nurtured by an eBook download. They want depth. Relevance. Confidence that the people behind the proposal have done it before.

B2B Buyers don’t want automation. They want trusted relationships.

So, how do you reach these senior buyers?

The Case for Account and Individual-Based Everything

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is not just a campaign, but a mindset. It's not about tools or technology. It’s about alignment.

• Alignment between subject matter experts and individual buyers

• Alignment between the message and the buyer context

• Alignment between the tone and the individual’s preferences

ABM means treating each high-value account like a market of one. You don’t chase leads. You build trust. You map the buying centre. You understand where they are in their internal process, not your funnel. And you position your experts in the right places, with the correct narrative.

This takes time, coordination, and most importantly, focus.

B2B Buyers Want Relationships Experts, Not Promises

If you’re selling consulting, managed services, implementation, or any offer that requires executive sponsorship, you need experienced professionals front and centre.

In ABM, your most effective marketing isn’t content – it’s conversation. And your best assets aren’t brochures – they’re people. Buyers trust people who’ve “been there”. People with ‘mileage’ in their field, who understand the constraints of their world. Who speak like peers, not marketers.

This is why senior subject matter experts must be visible right from the first outreach, not just in the first or second presentation.

Where to Start?

So, how can a growing B2B tech or services company put this into action?

1. Find and research the Ideal Accounts and Individuals within the buying centre.

   Focus on accounts with solution-relevant business challenges, transformation readiness, and stakeholder dynamics. By identifying decision-makers, potential blockers, and relevant success metrics, you can develop more targeted engagement approaches that address specific buyer needs and priorities.

2. Map your subject matter experts with decision makers.

   Strategically pair your experts with specific decision makers based on expertise alignment, communication style, and industry experience. This creates natural rapport and credibility that generic outreach cannot achieve. Your technical architect should speak directly with the CTO, while your business transformation specialist engages with the COO. These deliberate pairings establish meaningful connections that cut through the noise and demonstrate your understanding of the prospect's organisational structure and challenges.

3. Activate Your Experts on LinkedIn

   Forget the company page. Have your SMEs connect with target individuals and post on LinkedIn about the real issues their target buyers face. Not product, not features – insight. Make their voice part of the buying journey. It’s not scalable – it’s credible.

4. Build Individual Sales Collateral

   Create issue-led, individual-specific content. Tailored slide decks, diagnostic tools, short videos – anything that helps the buyer navigate their internal discussions.

   Research the communication style of your target individuals and tailor your material accordingly.

5. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Mileage

   Your best ABM assets are the people who’ve done the hard yards. Let them talk. Let them write. Let them advise – even before there’s an opportunity. You’re not pitching – you’re guiding.

   
   

In Summary

If you're serious about growth in B2B tech and services, stop chasing volume. Focus on value. Influence starts with relevance, and relevance comes from understanding, not automation.

That’s the opportunity of ABM in our context. Not just marketing with an account list, but building trust with the right people in the right way.

This isn't quick. But it works. Because real business is still done through trusted relationships, even in the technology industry.