B2B and B2C are convenient labels, but I think we misuse them.

It’s not whether you sell to a business or a consumer. It’s whether you sell to a budget or a wallet.

You can sell to a small consulting firm, which technically is B2B, but the decision-making often looks a lot more like what I’d call “selling to a wallet.” It’s the founder’s own money.

A wallet is personal. Someone feels the cost. Even if it’s “for the business,” it’s still their money so the friction is emotional and psychological. You’re competing with every other thing that money could be used for, saved for, or invested in. The first decision is whether to spend at all. The second is whether to spend it on you.

A budget is institutional. The money is allowed-to-be-spent in the brains of the administrator, so the decision becomes one of allocation. This makes the friction more procedural. I’m talking about approvals, timing, justification, internal politics. Often the buyer isn’t equating value the same way, but instead thinking about how much of the budget this eats up…and whether they should hold some back “just in case.” When in reality, budgets can almost always be reallocated for things that are clearly valuable.

This budget-or-wallet reframe matters more than whether your buyer has a logo or a title.

And your sales strategy depends less on the entity type and more on the psychology of the money.

Thanks for reading.

Be well. Talk soon.

Peter

P.S. When you’re ready to feel more confident in your pricing and selling strategy, let’s talk. Starting with a pricing audit is usually the cleanest place to begin.