Human Relations, Not Mass Mailings: Anton Kovalyshyn on the Secrets of B2B Communications in Energy

16.07.2025

Anton Kovalyshyn

In modern business, oversaturated with information, the effectiveness of communication is measured not by the number of proposals sent, but by the quality of the relationships built. This is especially true for the energy industry, where decisions are made not by a single person, but by a whole plethora of stakeholders. Anton Kovalyshyn, Senior PR at Raiffeisen Bank, spoke about how to build trusting and long-term relationships in the business-to-business segment during his lecture as part of the “Communications and Interaction in Energy” course by Energy Club.

The expert, who has over 20 years of experience working with leading energy companies, emphasized that the era of mass, non-personalized communications in the B2B sector is coming to an end. Instead, a deep understanding of the client and direct contact are coming to the forefront.

“In B2B communications, the main thing is human relationships. It is the ability to directly, straight into the brain of your partner, your client, transmit and instill the message that you would otherwise spend months or years conveying indirectly through the media,” stressed Anton Kovalyshyn.

The speaker shared with the course participants the key principles for building an effective B2B strategy:

• Clear Goal Definition: Before starting any communication, it is necessary to clearly answer the question: what exactly do you want to achieve as a result? “It is important at the beginning of such B2B communication to determine your purpose, what exactly you need from this communication,” the expert noted.
• Owner’s Reputation and a Crystal-Clear Message: In the B2B sector, the personal reputation of the business leader or owner is of colossal importance and influences future relationships even before the first contact. At the same time, the message itself must be as concise as possible. “The message you go out with must be crystal-clear and simple, understandable, like a headline of four or five words, so that it hits the target immediately,” the lecturer advised.
• Storytelling and Becoming a Media Outlet: Instead of drily informing about their activities, companies should become their own media, telling stories and demonstrating real value. “You need to gradually become a media carrier yourself,” Kovalyshyn emphasized. What works best are case studies, “the result of which was a concrete, very tangible benefit for the client. Expressed either in money, or in kilowatt-hours, or in some kind of savings, or even in saving the business.”
• Building a Community: Long-term success, according to the expert, lies in creating communities. This can be a small club of company supporters or a large community centered around a specific issue, where the company acts as an expert platform.

The lecture concluded with a key takeaway that summarizes the modern approach to B2B communications.

“The main thing is a focus on direct contact, constant analysis of effectiveness, and adaptation to client needs,” Anton Kovalyshyn summed up.

The course participants received not only theoretical knowledge but also numerous examples from the speaker’s personal experience, which will help them build stronger and more effective partnerships in their daily work.

About the course: The course “Communications and Interaction in Energy: Strategies for PR, Marketing, GR and Lobbying in Ukraine” from Energy Club is designed to enhance the communication capabilities of companies, promote their competitiveness, and support the sustainable development of Ukraine’s energy sector.