How can you personalise every B2B customer relationship?

In B2B (Business to Business) relationships, personalisation is an asset. Better still, it's a real strategic differentiator. If you want to win and retain B2B customers, there's only one choice: offer them a tailor-made experience. Why should you do this? To raise awareness of your commercial brand, to support your marketing strategy or to boost customer satisfaction.

Here are some concrete strategies and practical advice for turning your interactions into lasting loyalty opportunities. Make them part of your action plan - you won't regret it!

Why is personalising B2B customer relations crucial?

Today, personalisation has become essential in B2B, due to the changing expectations of companies. Nowadays, commercial transactions are also tailor-made relationships, supported by loyalty-building events. Companies are increasingly demanding this, so that they can feel truly understood and valued. In other words, you need to treat each relationship as if it were unique... or as you would like to be treated by one of your suppliers.

But why is this so important? Simply because personalisation makes all the difference to customer satisfaction and loyalty. It costs far less to build customer loyalty than it does to win new prospects. Adjusting your offers, your strategy and your exchanges to suit each customer helps to strengthen the relationship of trust. As a result, the experience is seen as a positive one, promising long-term partnerships. As you know, this is what ensures the growth of your own business.

What are the benefits of personalising B2B customer relations?

As we've seen, personalisation goes hand in hand with loyalty. It's up to you to combine them. And how do you do that? By putting the human touch back into your B2B relationship. The benefits will be immediate for both your company and your customers. Here are some of the major benefits you'll reap:

1. Increased satisfaction: a customer who feels listened to and understood is more likely to be satisfied. By adopting a personalised approach, you can improve your satisfaction rate.
2. Enhanced loyalty: offer a tailor-made experience to forge an emotional bond. A study by Salesforce shows that companies are working to achieve a retention rate of over 85%. Those that personalise their services see a higher level of customer loyalty.
3. Additional sales opportunities: put yourself in your customers' shoes. This is the best way to offer them something that corresponds to their real needs. This will boost their satisfaction and, potentially, your revenue.
4. Reduced churn: by offering personalised communication and solutions, you can anticipate your customers' frustrations and desires. Result: fewer unsubscribes, fewer cancelled contracts.

What are the steps involved in personalising each B2B customer relationship?

Here is a standard action plan which, as well as being effective, has the merit of being adaptable to the needs of each company.

1. Understanding the unique needs of each customer

The foundation of a personalised relationship is knowing your customers. Don't be satisfied with their name or their brand. You need to create a unique bond with your target. To set up such a relationship programme, you need to explore their world, identify their issues and know what motivates them. To collect this valuable data, we advise you to create surveys with content tailored to your customer. A tip: carry out sector studies to anticipate trends and take stock of the constraints of each business sector. This will enable you to be proactive at all times and adapt your offers accordingly.

2. Use data to adjust your approach

Having data is all very well, but you still need to be able to process it in order to adapt your marketing approach. To centralise and analyse it correctly, use your CRM tools. Your decisions will no longer be based on intuition, but on concrete information that consists of:

• segment customers according to behaviour, needs or industry, to target communications more effectively;
• offer services and products tailored to the specific needs of different segments;
• anticipate future needs, based on past purchasing trends.

3. Adapting B2B communications and interactions

Personalisation also involves the way you communicate. There are three ways of doing this.

• Personalise your emails: use the customer's surname, or even first name, and refer to past discussions to show that you care about their situation.
• Tailor meetings: prepare each meeting according to the customer's needs and propose concrete solutions during your discussions. No more sterile meetings!
• Optimise calls: focus on the customer's preferences, this is essential to offer them a unique and targeted experience. No more wasting time with one-way communication!

A more personalised tone of communication makes every interaction more human and relevant. Make sure you plan regular contact points to maintain a continuous and open relationship.

4. Offering tailor-made solutions for every B2B customer

This is what personalisation is all about: offering solutions tailored to each customer. For example, adapting your product offering can make all the difference. Depending on the customer, you can modify certain technical features or create made-to-measure services. Another solution is to offer exclusive services. The best example of this is organising private events for your most loyal customers, such as an exclusive visit to an iconic venue, a personalised workshop or an invitation to a private box at a sporting event. These initiatives can reinforce their emotional commitment to your brand.

The more tailor-made your product or service, the more value you create for your customer. This helps to solidify your relationship and improve customer satisfaction.

What tools and technologies should you use for effective B2B customer personalisation?

An Akeneo study conducted in September 2024 revealed that 40% of companies still manage customer data manually. Virtually all of the leaders questioned in the survey (99%) say that they encounter difficulties in managing this information. The variety of formats, the quality of the data and the time taken to update it are all major obstacles. That's why technology is your best tool for achieving this customisation. Here are two key elements to put in place:

Using a CRM tool, your best asset

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is important for storing, organising and analysing information about your customers. It offers a wide range of functions for personalising customer relationship management.

• Interaction tracking: centralise all messages exchanged with your customers, whether by email, telephone or during a meeting.
• Task automation: set reminders and actions to keep track of your customers on a regular basis.
• Detailed reports: monitor the performance of each intervention to optimise your future actions.

Automate for large-scale customisation

While automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are seen as promising solutions for improving these processes, they are still complex to implement. This is generally due to a lack of compatibility with existing systems. However, if your tools allow it, AI can analyse your customers' behaviour with the aim of suggesting relevant offers at each stage of their journey. Chatbots, on the other hand, enable your customers' requests to be dealt with quickly and in a personalised manner.

Case studies of successful customisation in B2B

As we've already mentioned, using exclusive events is one of the most effective ways of doing this. It allows you to forge more personal relationships. The Stade de France, for example, offers unforgettable experiences, turning moments of relaxation into commercial opportunities. Here are a few testimonials that illustrate the effectiveness of personalisation in this context.

Creating informal and authentic relationships: the example of Bureau Veritas

Marc Boissonnet from Bureau Veritas explains that the sporting and cultural events organised at the Stade de France have helped to create more authentic links with their clients and prospects. This type of event offers a relaxed setting, away from formal business meetings, conducive to building solid and lasting relationships.

Strengthening business links through exclusive experiences: the case of Manutan

Olivier Morin, from Manutan, gives a similar example, explaining how an invitation to a sporting event transformed a professional relationship into a closer and more lasting collaboration. On this occasion, he was able to meet the head of a major group that he had previously only been able to approach formally.

The ‘wow’ factor in building loyalty: Fraikin's story

Julie Bastien from Fraikin talks about the emotional impact of the events at the Stade de France. She points out that the ‘wow effect’ felt by their customers during the events has greatly contributed to their loyalty. The memorable experience offered by this iconic venue, with a varied programme ranging from concerts to sporting events, has a real leverage effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty. For Fraikin, this is not just an invitation, but an effective customer retention strategy.

A prestigious setting and a programme tailored to each customer: the example of France TV Publicité

France TV Publicité has also been able to take advantage of the diversity of the Stade de France's programming to meet the expectations of an eclectic customer base. According to Véronique Glandières, the variety of events makes it possible to invite different customer profiles throughout the year, depending on their interests. Whether for sporting, cultural or musical events, the ability to tailor invitations to each customer's tastes enhances the effectiveness of loyalty-building initiatives.

What are the challenges of personalising B2B customer relations and how can they be overcome?

Investment in time and money, as well as the difficulty of collecting customer data, are the main obstacles to personalising B2B customer relations. And yet, these challenges can easily be overcome with a few simple tricks:

• automate processes to retrieve customer information smoothly and continuously;
• invest, because what may seem costly at the outset will bring real benefits in terms of customer loyalty, customer satisfaction and Upsell ;
• use the solutions available to offer more immersive experiences that are better adapted to the unique needs of your customers.

The future of B2B personalisation

Personalisation in B2B is a strong trend that will only grow in the years to come. AI and data analytics will continue to develop and should play an even greater role. According to an Akeneo study, 85% of B2B companies have already adopted a digital strategy. This is usefully complemented by an omnichannel approach, characteristic of the new era of B2B commerce. If you haven't started yet, it's high time you adopted this strategy to stay competitive and engage your customers over the long term.

Would you like to deepen your personal relationships with your customers? Contact our sales team to discover the quality of welcome that accompanies all the B2B events organised at the Stade de France.