Industry

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Why do German manufacturers offer more often modular solutions?

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 […]

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Marketing

Persona: The trap of fake marketing

Marketing managers describe their target market using persona profiles. A persona is a fictional typical customer whose background, values, habits and attitudes towards the product are outlined. Market segmentation classifies buyers or users into groups of individuals with similar characteristics. It enables the development of a marketing strategy tailored to each group. Market segmentation and

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Sell

Trim your product catalogue and boost your competitiveness!

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

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Sell

Equipment makers: Boost profitability by tightening the link between new equipment and maintenance

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

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Sell

Economic patriotism: Is it a good selling point?

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

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Sell

If Your new process produces several co-products, Be ready to face some Specific business challenges

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,

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Sell

Cash-strapped? What about asking Sales & Marketing for a fix?

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 »

Sell

How to shift from a single-product to a multi-product sales forces?

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 »

Sell

Making money off my customer’s weaknesses: rewarding, profitable,but not sustainable!

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

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Sell

Is the promotion of the process more important than the promotion of the product?

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 »

Innovate

Even push-button manufacturers will never stop innovating !

Nothing is simpler than pressing a push-button, or activating a manual control.  Does this elementary and barely conscious act deserve the attention of innovators? Why not relegate these objects to the vintage catalogue of 20th century technologies, when each of us carries a touch screen in the pocket? When the metaverse industry is preparing a

Even push-button manufacturers will never stop innovating ! Read Post »

Marketing

Industrial CAPEX:Do not forget to invest in marketing!

Until recently, financial investors in industrial companies where keen to slash first marketing and communication costs to improve cash flow and short-term profitability. Geopolitical crises, economic sovereignty policies, the digitalisation of production, and efforts to reduce CO2 emissions have increased the interest in relocating factories closer to end markets. A new generation of investors is

Industrial CAPEX:Do not forget to invest in marketing! Read Post »

Sell

The product brochure chore: what is the right recipe to use?

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 »

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