The Power of Emotion in B2B Marketing
12 January 2010
Well, AdAge has just come out with its list of the “10 Books You Should Have Read in 2009,” and I’m delighted to say my latest book, Emotionomics, made the top ten list.
AdAge summarizes the book as being about making connections between brands and consumers; that’s true, but it’s also about communicating value.
In business school, people get trained to think of the value proposition as a rational matter. The offer does this, at this price, with these features, attributes and benefits. The benefits part at least hints at the vast role of emotions in the decision-making process, including most definitely in the B2B realm.
But really emotions are more than just some extra grace notes. Comfort (in making a big decision) is emotional. Trust is emotional (so is lack of faith). What feature packs an emotional punch because it’s relevant, that’s emotional. The list could go on and on.
In my work for the major pharma companies (selling to doctors), or Cargill, or Sprint-Nextel, when it’s in the B2B space, emotions always matter because there’s no way around them. We feel before we think, and it inevitably colors – if not dominates – our decision-making process.
B2B marketing that doesn’t connect emotionally as well as provide the intellectual alibi facts can’t close the deal; it’s a 1-2 punch.
I hope you can join me on February 11 as we explore the power of emotion in B2B Marketing the BMA-Minnesota program. I promise that you’ll walk away with a new appreciation of how to use emotion to motivate your customers.
Dan Hill, President
