Apple Takes the Leap into B2B Enterprise Sales

Are B2C and B2B marketing really that different? After all, most consumer products – from candy to motorcycles - rely heavily on B2B distribution deals to reach all those millions of individual customers. Can’t a successful consumer products company just turn their distribution prowess into great B2B sales and marketing to enterprise clients?

Apple’s March 6 announcement that the iPhone will be sold to the enterprise market with its June software release gives us a chance to deconstruct the relevant differences between a B2C distribution model and B2B direct sales. As we watch Apple's efforts to sell the iPhone into the corporate market we'll also observe whether Steve Jobs can lead his company into straddling the multi-headed target market beast as well as Michael Dell has. Like any good technology pitch man, Jobs seems to have the product issues under control, but his market-facing brand and distribution challenges are where we can expect to see the strategy succeed or fail. Right now, the jury’s out.

Let’s look at what Apple is doing to address the B2B market and evaluate their potential for success and challenge in a “Six P’s + Branding” analysis framework.