25 Real-World B2B Examples: Business Models, Strategies & Partnerships

B2B Examples: In a global economy where B2B transactions top $21.9 trillion annually, understanding high-performing B2B business models, marketing strategies, and partnership structures is critical to driving growth. Whether you're refining your go-to-market approach or launching a new vertical strategy, the 25 real-world B2B examples in this guide reveal what works in 2025—and how to replicate it.

What Is B2B?

Business-to-Business (B2B) describes companies that sell products or services to other businesses. These relationships are defined by longer sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, customized offerings, and higher deal values compared to B2C.

With Apollo Search, B2B teams can filter markets by firmographics, tech stack, industry, and intent signals to reach their ideal customers faster.

Top B2B Business Models

• SaaS (e.g. Salesforce): Subscription-based CRM with modular pricing, ecosystem integrations, and fast deployments.
• Manufacturing (e.g. 3M): Supplying specialty components and materials across industries like healthcare and electronics.
• Wholesale (e.g. Grainger): Massive catalog, inventory management tools, and digital ordering for MRO supply chains.
• Professional Services (e.g. Deloitte): Industry-specific consulting, audit, and transformation solutions.
• B2B Marketplaces (e.g. Alibaba): Connecting global buyers and suppliers with trust layers and logistics support.

Gartner forecasts 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur in digital channels by 2025 (source).

B2B Marketing Tactics that Scale

• Content Hubs (e.g. HubSpot): Build thought leadership and generate organic demand via SEO-rich educational content.
• ABM (e.g. Terminus): Personalized outreach to high-value accounts across multiple channels with marketing-sales alignment.
• Customer Advocacy (e.g. Cisco): Turn users into evangelists with rewards, feedback access, and recognition.
• Event Marketing (e.g. Dreamforce): Deliver immersive education + entertainment at scale for brand loyalty and leads.
• Video Content (e.g. IBM): Simplify technical concepts, showcase use cases, and build trust visually.

Use Apollo Analytics to track engagement and conversion by persona, industry, or campaign type.

Smart B2B Partnerships

• Strategic Alliances (e.g. Microsoft + Oracle): Address multi-cloud complexity through interoperable platforms.
• OEMs (e.g. Intel Inside): Integrate critical components and co-market value downstream.
• VAR Channels (e.g. Cisco Partners): Extend reach with local implementation expertise.

McKinsey reports that ecosystem strategies deliver outsized growth for 60% of top B2B performers (source).

Customer Experience Innovation

• Self-Service (e.g. Grainger): Enable 24/7 digital ordering, pricing, and reordering for enterprise buyers.
• Customer Success (e.g. Salesforce): Use health scoring and onboarding journeys to boost retention and LTV.
• Technical Portals (e.g. Red Hat): Combine documentation, community, and expert support for complex users.

With Apollo Engage, B2B sellers can deliver personalized, multi-touch sequences across email, phone, and LinkedIn.

Verticalization & Co-Creation

• Advisory Boards (e.g. Microsoft MVPs): Foster product feedback and peer collaboration.
• Vertical SaaS (e.g. Veeva Systems): Deliver purpose-built solutions for regulated or complex industries.

RAIN Group reports that 92% of buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted peer review (source).

How Apollo.io Fuels B2B Strategy

Apollo.io helps B2B teams execute like the best in the industry. With data enrichment, AI lead scoring, and sales engagement all in one platform, Apollo drives better targeting, outreach, and pipeline. Get started free to scale what works in the world of B2B.