Turkey, Gravy, and CRM: What Thanksgiving Teaches Us About B2B Success

There’s something about Thanksgiving that brings out the marketer in me—though not in the spirit of Black Friday sales or the relentless stream of turkey-themed emails. I mean, Thanksgiving as a tradition: a curated dance of expectations, negotiations, and the ultimate promise of fulfillment. In my family, Thanksgiving is a peculiar study in group dynamics, communication failures, unmet expectations, and the occasional last-minute miracle. And I’ve come to realize that Thanksgiving has a surprising amount to teach us about B2B marketing.

This insight didn't hit me overnight. It was somewhere between the hours of stuffing turkeys, enduring passive-aggressive family games, and explaining, for the umpteenth time, why pumpkin pie has its rightful place at the table, that I realized these mishaps weren’t just family traditions—they were insights. B2B marketing, after all, is about delivering on promises, managing relationships, and making sure the experience matches the expectation. In essence, B2B marketing is a big, extended Thanksgiving meal, only with fewer mashed potatoes (unless, of course, you work for Idaho’s potato marketing board). Here’s how the lessons translate:

Lesson 1: Under-Promise, Over-Deliver (Or, Never Say the Turkey Will Be “Perfect”)

Every Thanksgiving, there’s one person who swears this year’s bird will be different—moist, flavorful, the best anyone has ever had. This confidence is often matched only by the disappointment in everyone’s eyes when they discover the turkey’s “special marinade” has mostly dried up.

Similarly, in B2B marketing, over-promising will almost always lead to disappointment. When we get our customers’ hopes sky-high, even good results can feel underwhelming. The lesson here? Set achievable expectations. If a product’s selling point is solid, let that speak for itself. An honest portrayal resonates far more than grand claims. Make your message a promise, not a pipe dream.

B2B customers want reliability more than flash. And when you over-deliver by solving a real pain point—like when the turkey actually comes out juicy and golden—people remember that. You’ll get more loyalty from modesty and consistent delivery than from wild claims. No one expects miracles; they want what’s promised—and maybe a little extra on top.

Lesson 2: Adapt and Improvise (Or, Have a Backup Plan for When the Gravy Explodes)

In my household, we’ve had gravy incidents. Enough of them that I wouldn’t call them incidents anymore—they’re more like traditions. One memorable Thanksgiving, the gravy boat cracked, spilling half of it across the counter. We mopped it up with bread slices, called it stuffing, and didn’t miss a beat. But had we relied on that singular item to carry the meal, it might have ruined dinner.

In B2B marketing, even the best-laid plans can fall apart. That shiny new CRM software? Half your team couldn’t get past the login screen. The “killer” campaign you spent months designing? Your audience preferred the simpler email you threw together as a fallback. Sometimes, the backup plan is what saves the day.

Having flexible solutions means you’re not wed to one approach. If the flagship service or product misses the mark, what alternative do you have? Adapting on the fly demonstrates resilience and keeps the customer experience seamless. And just like Thanksgiving gravy, sometimes your clients will like the backup version better than the original plan.

Lesson 3: Know Your Audience (Or, Aunt Edna Hates Sweet Potatoes)

Thanksgiving invites a clash of dietary preferences that’s almost theatrical in nature. Aunt Edna despises sweet potatoes, cousin Lou has gone keto (again), and your brother refuses to eat anything that didn’t come out of a deep fryer. Knowing your audience in this culinary landscape is essential; serve the wrong dish, and you’ll be hearing about it all year.

B2B marketing is about knowing your audience so well that you can practically anticipate their preferences. Is your customer detail-oriented, preferring in-depth white papers? Or are they more likely to respond to quick, actionable insights delivered in digestible, well-timed updates? And, just as you wouldn’t plop a pile of sweet potato mash on Aunt Edna’s plate, there’s no point in sending exhaustive reports to a buyer who simply wants key takeaways.

Get to know your clients’ needs and preferences. Have conversations, listen to feedback, and respect the quirks. Being thoughtful with your messaging demonstrates understanding and care. The deeper your insight, the stronger your relationship—and the less likely you’ll serve up the marketing equivalent of Aunt Edna’s dreaded sweet potatoes.

Lesson 4: Build Anticipation Without Exhausting (Or, Spare Us the Thanksgiving Countdown)

Thanksgiving has barely been announced when some people start a countdown—weeks out, reminding everyone of the date, the menu, the seating arrangements. By the time Thanksgiving finally arrives, no one’s even hungry; they’re just tired of hearing about it.

In B2B marketing, it’s tempting to drum up excitement with countdown emails, teasers, and updates. While a little buildup can be great, too much preemptive contact can lead to fatigue. Clients can start tuning you out, even resenting the brand that can’t stop reminding them of the “big launch” that never quite seems to come.

A successful B2B strategy finds the balance between creating genuine excitement and leaving breathing room. Keep the focus on substance over splash. The product or service will make a bigger impact if your customers aren’t tired of it before it even launches. Give them a reason to look forward to working with you, but don’t exhaust the excitement before you’ve actually arrived.

Lesson 5: Nurture Relationships, Not Transactions (Or, Remember What Thanksgiving’s Really About)

When I was younger, Thanksgiving was about three things: food, pie, and arguing over who got the last roll. But as the years passed, it became less about the food and more about connecting with people I don’t see every day, family members who, despite all the squabbles, mean something.

In B2B, it’s easy to focus on transactions—the numbers, the renewals, the upsells. But the most successful marketers know it’s about more than sales. When you build relationships, you earn the kind of loyalty that numbers alone can’t capture. This might look like understanding the internal dynamics of your client’s company, knowing the names of key stakeholders, or remembering their most significant needs.

Think of B2B marketing as relationship-building, not transaction-hunting. When you shift your mindset to this approach, your clients will see you as a partner, not a vendor. You’re not selling them a product; you’re providing something they need, solving a problem they care about, and doing so as someone who genuinely understands them.

So there you have it. Every Thanksgiving table holds a collection of strange, intricate, and somehow enlightening rituals. Somewhere between the bland stuffing and the unfulfilled sweet potato debate, I found lessons that resonate in B2B marketing. It turns out that a lot of the dynamics we manage in business—expectations, mishaps, people’s peculiarities, and a fair share of improvisation—are mirrored in this annual meal.

With every passing year, I find myself a little less focused on whether the turkey’s perfect or the stuffing’s undercooked, and a little more interested in the people who showed up for it. Thanksgiving might not be the textbook inspiration for a marketing strategy, but in the chaos of the holiday, there’s something unmistakably human—a reminder that in B2B marketing, as in life, it’s really about showing up and caring.

And who knows? Maybe this year, we’ll finally get the gravy right.