B2B Organic Growth Blog

New research shows huge financial benefits realized by companies exhibiting long-term behavior. And yet, short-termism often prevails. Here’s the reality: your financial results today are just the future someone else created years ago. Isn’t it time to make your career a participant—not spectator—sport?

More in article, The Inputs to Innovation for B2B

The human brain likes to diverge first (look at all these deserts), and then converge (the chocolate lava cake, please). We shortcut this highly-effective approach when we begin by asking customers if they like our idea, hypothesis, or prototype. First, diverge with an open-minded exploration of all customer needs in B2B-optimized, voice-of-customer interviews. When you converge in a later round of interviews, do so quantitatively, so your confirmation bias doesn’t kick in.

More in e-book, Leader’s Guide to B2B Organic Growth (Lesson 16).

Increasing shareholder value is simply the result… the “effect.” What’s the “cause”? It’s profitable, sustainable, organic growth. Demonstrate this and stock prices will follow like goslings after their mother. Quit performing for Wall Street analysts, who have never created real value and couldn’t do so if their bonuses depended on it. Instead, work for customers who will appreciate and reward the value you create for them.

More in article, B2B Leadership: Time for Greatness

In Asia, for instance, people are especially mindful of the feelings of peers and bosses. And if customers are accustomed to a trading culture—not “consultative selling”—they’ll expect visiting suppliers to “sell us something.” Patience is needed, but thankfully the desire to be understood is universal.

More in e-book, Reinventing VOC for B2B (page 27).

Should your product launch include email… trade shows… pay-per-click? Every market segment tends to favor different venues to learn about new ideas. Rather than guessing—and squandering your budget—you should study customers’ behavior. Don’t think, “How do we communicate?” Instead think, “How do they learn?”

More in article, Stop Squandering Your Product Launch Budget

What initiatives is your business pursuing today? Lean… sales effectiveness… acquisitions… cost reductions? If your over-arching aim is rapid, profitable, sustainable growth—and it should be—see why these otherwise-fine initiatives may be distracting you and inhibiting the high-quality growth you seek.

More in article, Plan your B2B organic growth with this new diagnostic

When do most producers resolve commercial risk? After product launch, when they learn if their product is a success or failure. You can build a “certainty time machine” and remove most commercial risk in the front-end of innovation. But only if you’re serving B2B customers, who can explain nearly all that you need to know.

More in white paper, Guessing at Customer Needs (page 5).

Don’t let your future be “that time you’ll wish you’d done what you’re not doing now.” You’ll be thankful later if you recalibrate your time horizon now… diverting some of your short-term attention to the future of your business. Besides, what you do this quarter is largely a spectator sport. The prices, profits and margins we wring our hands about during financial reviews were determined years ago by the new products created then for customers.

More in e-book, Leader’s Guide to B2B Organic Growth (Lesson 7).

Long ago, clever employees at your company developed industry-leading products. Most of your growth and profits today probably come from these sturdy product platforms. Don’t count on inherited growth continuing: Every year, purchasing agents and competitors are working diligently to commoditize your specialty products. Glad I could cheer you up on this.

More in white paper, Catch the Innovation Wave (page 14).

More specifically, it’s learning what you didn’t know about the customer’s world in your target market. If you think it’s about “ideating” to come up with cool supplier ideas—which you’ll “validate” with customers—you’ve got it all wrong. Start with customers and their needs… not with you and your notions. Focus on your solutions after you understand what those who might buy them want.

Learn more about B2B innovation at theaiminstitute.com