B2B Voice of Customer Skills Research Report

Preview: B2B VOC Skills

This new research by The AIM Institute shows a surprisingly strong correlation between B2B VOC skills and higher new product success rates. For the first time ever, you can now see which of 12 B2B VOC skills have the greatest impact on B2B new product success.

If you’re unhappy with your organic growth from new products, you could increase R&D spending or try to hire brighter R&D staff. But there’s a much easier way: Train your market-facing organization in strong VOC skills. Not convinced? Download this report, jam-packed with our research results displayed in 17 charts.

We surveyed 311 B2B professionals with nearly 5,000 years of combined experience, and here’s what the data strongly support: Training in VOC skills boosts VOC competencies… which improves understanding of market needs… which leads to higher new product success rates.

Granted, we’re claiming correlation here—not causation. But the strength of these correlations and their underlying logic are compelling. We believe they’re compelling enough to encourage growth-seekers to aggressively strengthen their B2B VOC skills.

For this research, we compiled 12 VOC skills that could help new product development teams understand customer needs in a target market. (For a description of each VOC skill, see page 4 in the full report.)

In the full report, you’ll see extensive support of seven key findings.

1. Understanding market needs correlates with new product success.
2. Strong VOC skills equate to understanding market needs & new product success.
3. The biggest VOC differentiator in new product success is prioritizing customer needs.
4. VOC skills & new product success are impacted by VOC training.
5. Training in New Product Blueprinting improves VOC skills more than other methods.
6. VOC skills & attitudes are impacted by a company’s use of VOC.
7. Most B2B companies have similar VOC behaviors.

The last point refers to our finding that a company’s type of offering, company size, and respondent job function don’t have a large impact. So is this good news, bad news, or no news at all? We think it’s good news: What matters is not the hand you’ve been dealt. It’s what you do with it. Regardless of the nature of your company or your job, you’re pretty much in the same boat as other B2B professionals.

The actions of your leadership team are what make the difference. A big difference. Your business can have great success if they are committed to using VOC in a meaningful way (see Chart #13) and to training their employees in VOC skills (see Charts 8 & 12).

You’re already investing a bundle in R&D. Now it’s time to aim it with great precision. It’s time to create products customers really want. And time to drive the profitable, sustainable organic growth your business needs.