For a long time, B2B marketing was seen as purely technical. Processes, numbers, and specifications were the basis of communication. The idea was that to convince, it was enough to talk about efficiency and functionality. But over time, we discovered that this is not enough. Even when the decision is made by a company, the one who chooses is still a person, with goals, doubts, priorities, and expectations. And understanding this person makes all the difference.
Understanding this reality changes how we position ourselves, how we build relationships, and how we view the buying journey. When the focus is solely on product and performance, marketing becomes an accessory. However, when we put people at the center, it transforms into a tool for listening, dialogue, and value creation.
When marketing starts looking at people again
It all starts with knowledge. Knowing who is on the other side is essential. Who are the decision-makers? Who influences the process? In many cases, it’s no longer about convincing a single person, your client’s interface, but understanding how different areas connect—how HR, logistics, finance, and legal, for example, participate in the decision. Mapping these stakeholders allows for a more effective approach and, most importantly, one that is more respectful of each company’s time and needs.
Technology serving relationships
CRM tools are not just databases. They are the new way of organizing relationships. If once we exchanged business cards and built commercial memory through notes, today consolidating all this information is possible through systems that help personalize, predict, track, and improve the end-to-end experience. CRM, when well-maintained and shared across teams—that is, used intelligently—becomes a living platform of customer intelligence.
Technology plays an essential role in this process. Not as an end, but as a means. Automating interactions, using artificial intelligence to anticipate demands, cross-referencing data, and generating recommendations are valuable resources. But what truly matters is what we do with the time and clarity these tools provide. When applied intelligently, technology frees people’s schedules to focus on what machines cannot do: build trust-based relationships.
In many cases, clients themselves become brand ambassadors. They are the ones who tell, in their words and their way, what truly works. This genuine influence, based on real experience, carries significant weight in B2B environments—especially when it arises spontaneously, from client to client, in conversations, recommendations, events, and initiatives that place users at the heart of communication.
None of this is possible, of course, without integration. Collaboration between marketing, sales, and other business areas is what sustains a more efficient model. There are still barriers, often cultural, that hinder this fluidity. But it’s necessary to break away from the idea that each area ‘owns’ a client. The client belongs to the company. And when everyone works with this mindset, the delivery is far more coherent, agile, and relevant.
This way of viewing marketing—more integrated, more attuned to people, and more connected to the realities of decision-makers—has also guided our work at Edenred Mobilidade. We operate with a clear focus on building value at every stage of the journey, and this begins with how we communicate, listen, and understand our clients.
The tools we offer and use reflect this intention. TED, our AI solution for fleet management, is more than an operational tool. It allows us to translate data into concrete gains, which also becomes a strong brand message: we aim to be partners in building efficiency, not just solution providers. GoHub, which organizes and centralizes previously scattered information, supports faster and more precise decisions, strengthening trust throughout the relationship.
On the other side, EVA, our virtual assistant, handles millions of interactions with both speed and care. She represents a point of contact that must be efficient yet welcoming. Every conversation matters, and every experience reinforces the client’s perception of our brand.
Real influence comes from those who live the experience
More than talking about what Edenred does, we strive to support with what we know—the richness of our database—and always listen to those who use our solutions daily. Managers, drivers, truckers, and partners who use our solutions every day in their operations share their stories in videos, events, and other communication initiatives. They not only validate what we offer; they demonstrate, in practice, how technology can create real impact. This is influence that comes straight from experience, and that’s why it’s so powerful. When someone who lives the operation every day recommends a solution, that message carries a credibility that a canned speech could hardly achieve.
At the end of the day, B2B marketing is about listening carefully, delivering consistency, and building trust over time. And when this relationship is built with truth and respect, the client stops being just someone who buys. They become part of what the brand builds every day.
