Too many manufacturers feel stuck with the same old marketing technique of selling their product’s advantages and differentiators. That worked back when others were selling “features.” It stopped working once everybody started selling “product benefits.” Soon enough, a new tech-savvy generation of consumers started tuning out product benefits as pure marketing noise. Manufacturers that don’t appeal to today’s customer purchasing behaviors are positioning themselves to lose out to those who do.

For decades, B2B industrial and manufacturing marketing revolved around three simple elements: tradeshow lead generation, cold calling sales and networking/relationship selling. Those don’t work with younger, tech-savvy buyers. Their purchasing journey starts with internet research that builds immunity to the above-mentioned marketing tactics. Instead of sales-speak and networking clearly designed to sell them a product, these consumers want a transparent relationship based on a reason to authentically connect to your brand and everything for which it stands.