Written par in Fear marketing emphasises the risks to which the prospect is exposed in order to take advantage of them for commercial purposes. It is used at every stage of the sales process: In these anxious times, when threats abound, is fear marketing still relevant in B2B marketing? What are the advantages and limitations? […]
Fear marketing: Time to move to a more virtuous sales approach Read Post »
Everyone working in an industrial company has observed that lean management experts and marketing teams evolve in different worlds and collaborate little. We do not accept the paradigm behind this taken-for-granted evidence, in the name of the fact that these two disciplines share the same goal: to concretely improve the value provided by the company
Knock down the wall between lean management and marketing! Read Post »
As an industrial marketing practitioner in several markets, I have repeatedly investigated the reasons for the superior competitiveness of German manufacturers compared to their French competitors. One of the frequent causes has been the greater modularity of German product ranges. This article describes what a modular product range is, its advantages, and offers several explanations
Why do German manufacturers offer more often modular solutions? Read Post »
Well-established industrial companies that manufacture and sell under their own brand can tap into a source of profitability right at their feet: streamlining their product catalogue. But not all of them do so. What is holding them back? It is not simply about tackling industrial complexity using an Excel spreadsheet and a boilerplate method regurgitated
Trim your product catalogue and boost your competitiveness! Read Post »
The driving role of emotions in B2B marketing is a fact established by research and experts. In a context where Marketing and Sales automation powered by digitalisation and AI agents is set to play a growing role in B2B markets, what if you chose to make emotion a lever for business performance? To convince you,
BtoB Marketing: Arouse great emotions in your customers! Read Post »
Trucks, wind turbines, production machinery, boilers, software… these types of equipment require significant maintenance throughout their lifetime. For a company that designs and manufactures them, new equipment and maintenance activities are intertwined. But day-to-day operations are so different that they need to be managed separately.This can lead to lose sight of the strategic link between
Under the wake of geopolitical tensions, the globalisation of trade seems to be giving way to the fragmentation of markets and value chains. Calls for boycotts, increased customs duties, economic sovereignty, manufacturing reshoring and protective regulations are on the rise… and the political sphere is putting national preference on its agenda. Some manufacturers are mulling
Economic patriotism: Is it a good selling point? Read Post »
Richard Branson, Xavier Niel, Sam Walton, and Ingvar Kamprad founded iconic companies: Virgin Group, Iliad/Free, Walmart, and Ikea. They all started their careers as salespeople. Often, top sales reps also share the same strengths as those attributed to successful entrepreneurs: boldness, flair, grit, tenacity, interpersonal skills, autonomy, nimbleness, and decisiveness. Should your salespeople have an
Should your sales forces have an entrepreneurial mindset? Read Post »
Producers of basic goods upstream in a supply chain often generate by-products. Once considered waste, these by-products have generally found new uses. However, their economic value remains marginal. The triple necessity of decarbonisation, circular economy, and tackling the scarcity of some raw materials has led to a new generation of innovative industrial processes: pyrolysis, plasmalysis,
The cash shortage triggers a string of steps: factoring, delayed payment of suppliers, reduction of expenses, hiring freeze, additional approval level for expense requests, etc. Yet the crisis may linger or resurface. So, another round of financial belt-tightening? In the long run, the issue becomes a mental burden driving to a compulsive attention to certain
Cash-strapped? What about asking Sales & Marketing for a fix? Read Post »
In your industrial or tech company, many engineers work with customers. They are members of the engineering team, product developers, project managers or technical experts. They are not part of the sales team. What about asking them to get involved in the sales process? Under which conditions? To do what exactly? If properly designed, the
Can customer-facing engineers help with sales ? Read Post »
To innovative and ambitious teams, the quest for competitiveness paves the way for success. Really? The quest starts at the very beginning, when the first business plan is drawn up, by making sure that price assumptions are based on robust research. Setting the target selling price is an even trickier stage, as the project team
Innovators: Set as soon as possible your target selling price ! Read Post »
In industrial markets, sales representatives are usually in charge of a single product family. Yet several factors push towards a multi-product sales force: customers’ expectations for greater proximity, market demand for all-in-one, complex solutions, or competitive pressure. The company can also push in this direction, because it has expanded the product portfolio, or is eager
How to shift from a single-product to a multi-product sales forces? Read Post »
Your company has just made a complementary acquisition. It is extending its skills by buying either a supplier or a technology partner, and in all cases a company with a strong expertise. The two entities have different business models, because they have specific underlying skills, key assets, offerings and customers. So when you announce the
Who hasn’t heard sales colleagues boasting of having taken advantage of their customer’s poor organisation or limited skills? You’ve laughed heartily, and you may also have congratulated the sales person for their cunning move. And then, on reflection, a feeling of unease sets in: how does the customer feel about it? This situation actually takes
Making money off my customer’s weaknesses: rewarding, profitable,but not sustainable! Read Post »
The strategic plan describes the company’s ambitions over a period of 3 years or more, and allocates resources to the projects that will make the greatest contribution to achieving them. It is a dense, difficult and tedious exercise. In view of the rapid changes taking place in the company’s environment, we may well wonder whether
Is it still worth making a strategic plan? Read Post »
Collaboration between big companies and start-ups or innovative small or medium enterprises (SMEs) is notoriously difficult. Anyone working with both worlds has felt the differences in terms of organisation, decision-making methods and relationship to time.Yet the stakes of a value-creating exchange remain high for both parties. Start-ups and SMEs are looking for growth. Major groups
Startups and innovative SMEs: To sell to key accounts, don three costumes! Read Post »
The business model is a one-page description of the major aspects of a business: the target customers, the value proposition, the relationship with them, the critical activities, the key assets, the partners, the sources of revenue and the cost items. Reflecting on your business model is a great step when you’re looking for clarity and
How to manage several business models at the same time? Read Post »
I sometimes hear company leaders doubt whether their teams have a good understanding of customer expectations. Surprisingly, despite the ease with which data can be collected, processed, and disseminated today, the quality of information on customer expectations remains a source of concern. This article lists the various factors that can lead to this situation. It
The quality of information on customer expectations drives business performance Read Post »
It goes without saying that business intelligence improves the relevance of decisions and strengthens a company’s ability to ward off threats and seize opportunities. Yet implementing an effective business intelligence system means making an uncomfortable series of choices between imperfect alternatives: Infobesity, or selective coverage? Maximum digitalisation, or smart craftsmanship? A matter for the few,
Business intelligence: Should you rely on your sales force? Read Post »
With the acceleration of measures to decarbonise industry and strengthen the resilience of value chains in the face of supply, geopolitical and health shocks, buyer demand is increasingly focused on the way in which a product is manufactured. Compliance with product specifications and price are no longer enough: the origin and quality of components, manufacturing
Is the promotion of the process more important than the promotion of the product? Read Post »
A McKinsey paper estimates that companies that focus on satisfying their existing customers grow twice as fast as others. And yet, who among those of you who works in an industrial company has not heard the sales forces lamenting: “we are a product-oriented company anyway”, or harsher: “the engineers have here all the power”? To
Can a product-centric company become customer-centric? Read Post »
Your company designs and markets technical products and solutions to companies around the world. You publish your product offering online, perhaps even a complete catalogue. Hundreds, thousands of potential professional buyers consult it before asking for a quote or an appointment. More than just a basic brick and mortar, the product brochure is one of
The product brochure chore: what is the right recipe to use? Read Post »