What if your B2B marketing is packed with information—but still fails to move anyone? In this episode of B2B No Bull, Liz and Mark Brohan talk with Shanita Baraka Akintonde, author of The Front Porch Leader: Great Grand’s Recipe for Success, about the difference between giving people information and giving them a reason to care. Shanita brings a refreshing perspective to B2B marketing: influence starts with understanding people. Before marketers reach for AI, data or the latest technology, they need to understand their audience, ask better questions and connect the message to a real human need. The conversation explores what happens after awareness, why loyalty is earned long after the sale, and how marketers can use AI as a powerful tool without handing over the thinking. Shanita’s secret weapon? Wisdom passed down from her great-grandmother. Because while technology evolves, people—and what motivates them—remain remarkably human.
Information isn’t influence. And in B2B marketing, knowing the difference can change everything.
In this episode of B2B No Bull, Liz and Mark Brohan sit down with Shanita Baraka Akintonde, author, educator, marketer, communicator and author of The Front Porch Leader: Great Grand’s Recipe for Success, for a no-jargon conversation about what it really takes to influence buyers and drive action.
Shanita explains why simply delivering facts, product specifications and data isn’t enough. Effective B2B marketing has to answer the question every customer is asking: “What’s in it for me?” The goal isn't just to inform people—it’s to make the message matter to them.
The conversation takes a fascinating turn into AI and marketing. Shanita describes AI as a tool that can make marketers faster, but argues that the fundamentals of good marketing haven’t changed. You still need to understand your customer, identify the problem you're solving and know what to ask before AI can help you get there.
The hosts also explore the B2B buyer journey, from awareness and intent to purchase, loyalty and advocacy—and why marketers shouldn't confuse an immediate transaction with genuine influence. They dig into customer retention, brand loyalty and the importance of creating experiences that keep customers coming back.
And Shanita brings one of the episode’s most memorable lessons from her great-grandmother: technology may change, but understanding people never goes out of style.
If you're a B2B marketer wondering how to cut through the noise, use AI without losing the human touch, and turn information into influence, this conversation is packed with practical—and decidedly No Bull—advice.
Resources & References
Highlight Quotes
“Information isn’t influence. You have to touch that core within people that makes them say, ‘Why should I even care about this information?’” — Shanita Baraka Akintonde
“AI is a tool. Just like a hammer, a screwdriver, a wrench is a tool. You’re only as good as how you use the tool.” — Shanita Baraka Akintonde
“If you’re going to influence, you’ve got to know who your target market is, what you want to say. AI can help with that. It’s not going to do it for you.”