[GTM glossary](/glossary.md) Business-to-business

GTM Strategy & SaaS Metrics

# Business-to-business (B2B)

In short

Business-to-business (B2B) describes a company that sells products or services to other businesses instead of to individual consumers. Examples include software, logistics, and consulting.

B2B buying differs from consumer buying: purchases are larger, involve several decision-makers, follow budgets and approvals, and often run for weeks or months.

## How B2B differs from B2C

* **Buyer:** B2B sells to a group acting for an organization. B2C sells to an individual.
* **Sales cycle:** B2B cycles are generally longer because of evaluation, procurement, and sign-off.
* **Deal value:** B2B deals are usually larger and often recurring.
* **Decision logic:** B2B buyers weigh return on investment, risk, and integration, not just personal preference.

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## Key features of B2B go-to-market

### Buying committees

Several roles, such as a champion, an economic buyer, a technical evaluator, and end users, influence a deal. Reaching only one person rarely closes it.

### Account-based thinking

Because each customer is large, teams define target accounts and tailor outreach, as in account-based marketing.

### Relationship and trust

Reference customers, case studies, and consistent follow-up matter more than impulse.

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## Common B2B sales models

* **Self-serve:** Low price, buyer signs up alone.
* **Inside sales:** Remote reps run a defined process for mid-sized deals.
* **Field or enterprise sales:** Large, complex deals with multiple stakeholders and custom terms.
* **Channel:** Partners and resellers sell on your behalf.

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## Example

A software vendor wants to sell a workflow tool to mid-sized manufacturers. The team defines an ideal customer profile, builds a target account list, reaches several roles at each account, and measures success in pipeline, ACV, and sales cycle length, not clicks alone.

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## Common B2B mistakes

* **Selling to one contact:** Single-threaded deals stall when that person leaves or loses interest.
* **Using consumer tactics unchanged:** Broad awareness metrics often matter less than qualified pipeline.
* **Ignoring the existing customer base:** Expansion and retention often drive a large share of growth.

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## Business-to-business FAQs

**What does B2B mean?**

B2B stands for business-to-business. It describes companies that sell products or services to other organizations, such as software vendors selling to enterprises, rather than selling directly to individual consumers.

**What is the difference between B2B and B2C?**

B2B companies sell to organizations, with several decision-makers, larger deals, and longer sales cycles. B2C companies sell to individual consumers, with shorter, more emotional, and often single-person purchase decisions at lower prices.

**What are examples of B2B companies?**

B2B companies include software providers, payment processors, logistics firms, staffing agencies, manufacturers selling to other manufacturers, and consulting firms. Their customers are businesses, governments, or other organizations.

**What is B2B marketing?**

B2B marketing is the set of activities used to attract and convert business buyers, such as content, events, email, and account-based campaigns. It focuses on generating qualified pipeline and supporting long, multi-stakeholder buying decisions.

Share term

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## More related phrases

* [Lead generation](/glossary/lead-generation.md)
* [Business-to-business-to-consumer](/glossary/business-to-business-to-consumer.md)
* [Business-to-government](/glossary/business-to-government.md)

## Similar phrases

* [Business-to-consumer (B2C)](/glossary/business-to-consumer.md)  
Business-to-consumer (B2C) describes companies that sell products or services directly to individual people, usually for personal use, rather than to other businesses.
* [Account-based marketing (ABM)](/glossary/account-based-marketing.md)  
Account-based marketing (ABM) is a B2B strategy that focuses marketing and sales effort on a defined set of target accounts, with personalized campaigns instead of broad lead generation.
* [B2C2B (B2C2B)](/glossary/b2c2b.md)  
B2C2B is a go-to-market model where a product wins individual consumers first, then uses that adoption to sell into the businesses they work for.
* [Sales cycle length](/glossary/sales-cycle-length.md)  
Sales cycle length is the average time it takes to move a deal from first contact or opportunity creation to closed won, and it drives forecasting, hiring, and pipeline planning.
* [Ideal customer profile (ICP)](/glossary/ideal-customer-profile.md)  
An ideal customer profile (ICP) describes the type of company that gets the most value from your product and brings you the most revenue.