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Awkward Reality #59

Awkward Reality #58

Be grateful for B2B customers… and thankful your competitors don’t understand them. Do you?

58 B2B Customers

If you were gathering customer insights about belts, would you rather interview someone using a belt to convey iron ore… or to hold up their pants? B2B customers can usually provide more insight than end-consumers due to greater knowledge, interest, objectivity and foresight. But these advantages are no advantage unless you use a B2B-optimized approach.

More in white paper, Catch the Innovation Wave (page 6).

Awkward Reality #57

It’s usually a bad idea to ask B2B customers how much they’ll pay for a new product.

57 Price Negotiations

An alarm sounds in their heads and they move into “negotiating” mode… so good luck getting a straight answer. But they do want you to understand their needs. So collect economic data during interviews and tours for value-calculator price modeling later. This is why it’s easier to set proper pricing for a new product than an existing one.

More in article, Getting Top Price for Your New Product (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth Newsletter).

Awkward Reality #56

A value proposition is simply improving important outcome(s) for customers’ benefit.

56 Improving Customer Outcomes

Unlike many B2C benefits, e.g. amusement, comfort, and self-esteem, B2B customer benefits are usually measurable, economic and—wait for it now—predictable. This predictability means B2B suppliers who study customer outcomes, like a science, will be handsomely rewarded. B2B customers will eagerly help you… if you know how to ask them.

More in article, The Science behind Great Value Propositions (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth Newsletter).

Awkward Reality #55

Keep a straight face if you say, “This is the most important quarter in our company’s history.”

55 Quarterly Report

Of course, employees will be laughing; they’ve heard this one before. When satisfying the expectations of Wall Street analysts conflicts with building the firm’s long-term competitive strength, guess which usually wins? Any employee who’s been through travel restrictions, investment delays, hiring freezes, etc. knows the answer.

More in article, Why Maximizing Shareholder Value is a Flawed Goal (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth Newsletter).

Awkward Reality #54

Awkward Reality #53