For a long time, B2B marketing was seen as purely technical. Processes, numbers, and specifications were what based the 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 the way we position ourselves, how we build relationships, and how we perceive 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 becomes a tool for listening, dialogue, and value creation.
When marketing starts to look at people again
Everything begins 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 interface, but about understanding how different areas connect, such as HR, logistics, finance, and legal, for example, participate in the decision-making process. Mapping these stakeholders allows for the development of a more effective approach and, most importantly, a more respectful one of each company's time and needs.
Technology at the service of relationships
CRM tools are not just databases. They are the new way to organize relationships. Where we used to exchange business cards and build commercial memory from notes, today the consolidation of all this information is possible through systems that help to personalize, predict, monitor, and improve the end-to-end experience. CRM, when well populated and shared across departments, or rather, used intelligently, transforms into a living platform of customer intelligence.
Technology plays an essential role in this process. But not as an end, but as a means. Automating interactions, using artificial intelligence to anticipate demands, cross-reference data, and generate recommendations are valuable resources. But what really matters is what we do with time and the clarity these tools offer us. When applied intelligently, technology frees people's schedules to focus on what machines cannot do: build trusting relationships.
In many cases, the customers themselves become brand ambassadors. They are the ones who count, with their words, their way, what really works. This true influence, based on real experience, carries significant weight in the B2B environment. Mainly when it arises spontaneously, from client to client, in conversations, recommendations, events, and initiatives that place the user at the center of the communication.
None of this is possible, of course, without integration. The collaboration between marketing, sales, and other areas of a company is what sustains a more efficient model. There are still barriers, often cultural, that hinder this fluidity. But it is necessary to break with the idea that each area "has" a client. The client is from the company. And when everyone works with this mindset, the delivery is much more coherent, more agile, and more relevant.
This way of viewing marketing, more integrated, more sensitive to people, and more connected to the reality of those who decide, has also guided our work at Edenred Mobility. We operate with a very clear focus on building value at every point of the journey, and this begins with the way we communicate, listen, and understand our clients.
The tools we offer and use reflect this intention. TED, our artificial intelligence focused on fleet management, is more than an operational solution. It allows us to translate data into tangible gains, which also becomes a strong brand message: we want to be partners in building efficiency, not just solution providers. GoHub, which organizes and centralizes previously scattered information, supports faster and more accurate decisions, strengthening trust throughout the relationship.
On the other hand, EVA, our virtual assistant, handles millions of inquiries quickly and, at the same time, with care. She represents a point of contact that needs to be efficient but also welcoming. Every conversation matters, and every experience reinforces the customer's perception of our brand.
Real influence comes from those who live the experience
More than talking about what Edenred does, we aim to support with what we know – the wealth of our database, and always listening to those who use our solutions daily. Managers, drivers, truckers, and partners who use our solutions every day in their operations share their stories through videos, events, and other communication initiatives. They not only validate what we offer; they demonstrate, in practice, how technology can create real impact. It is an influence that comes directly from experience, and for that reason it is so powerful. When someone who lives the operation every day recommends a solution, that message has a credibility that a prepared speech can hardly achieve.
At the end of the day, doing B2B marketing is listening carefully, delivering consistency, and building trust over time. And when this relationship is built with truth and respect, the client ceases to be just someone who buys. He becomes part of what the brand builds every day.
