Overview
B2B is a business to business model.
From Beans to Business Goals: Ideating with Purpose in a B2B World
In the world of chocolate manufacturing, like many B2B models, we don’t sell directly to the end-users — the sweet-toothed customers picking up a bar at their local store. Instead, we sell to stores, distributors, or other businesses who then handle the last mile. And yet, even when the customer isn’t directly in front of us, their preferences, behaviors, and needs must shape how we work.
This becomes even more important in the discovery or ideation phase — especially when we’re exploring new opportunities with emerging technologies like AI. Whether you’re a traditional product manager or one working with AI, one truth remains: without a clear goal, your work will likely be directionless, and ultimately, futile.
Why the Discovery Phase Needs a Goal
It’s tempting to start with technology. In the AI space, we often hear phrases like, “Let’s see what the model can do.” But this experimentation-first mindset, while useful in R&D, rarely drives real product value in a business context — especially in B2B.
Instead, the key lies in starting with a goal. In B2B, this means aligning the needs of your direct customers (stores, retailers, partners) with the end-user’s desires (chocolate lovers). The stores may care about shelf-life, inventory turnover, or seasonal demand, while the end-users care about taste, ethical sourcing, or novelty. A good goal bridges both.
What Really Matters in B2B Ideation
As a PM working in a B2B context, you have to play both sides of the chessboard. Here’s what I believe truly matters when setting goals during the ideation phase:
Understand the end-user — even if you don’t sell to them directly. Just because the end-consumer doesn’t buy from you doesn’t mean you can ignore them. Their preferences ripple up the supply chain and impact your B2B customers’ purchasing decisions.
Know your customer’s business metrics. For stores, that might be SKU performance, shelf space ROI, or customer churn. Your AI or product innovation must map to a metric they care about. That’s your entry point to value.
Don’t let AI lead — let problems lead. AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not a compass. Start with a problem worth solving, and use AI to scale, personalize, or automate your solution — not the other way around.
Focus on collaboration early. In B2B, success often depends on aligning with multiple stakeholders. Use the ideation phase to involve your customers in goal-setting. That alignment is where trust and adoption begin.
Goals must be testable and measurable. A fuzzy goal like “Make a better chocolate experience” is a start — but it needs to become “Increase repeat purchase rate in key stores by 10% in Q1 through better product recommendations.” Now you have a real target.
Final Thought
Whether you’re producing chocolates or algorithms, product management is still about connecting dots: the user, the customer, the business, and the technology. In B2B, that’s a complex but rewarding puzzle. But none of those dots mean anything without a clear, shared goal.
Let’s stop treating discovery like a brainstorming session and start treating it like a strategy session.