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🧑💻Navigating the Complexities of Selling Professional Services in Today's Market In an era where the market is saturated with myriad options and consumers are more informed than ever, selling professional services has become a nuanced art. The challenges are multifaceted, ranging from the intangible nature of services to the evolving expectations of clients. - The Intangibility Factor Unlike products, services are intangible. They cannot be seen, tasted, touched, or felt before they are bought. This intangibility makes it difficult for potential clients to understand exactly what they will receive, which can lead to hesitation in the purchasing decision. - Building Trust Trust is the cornerstone of any professional service transaction. Clients need to believe in the expertise and reliability of the service provider. However, building this trust takes time and consistent effort, which can slow down the sales cycle. - Customization and Complexity Professional services often require a high degree of customization. Each client's needs are unique, and tailoring services to meet these specific requirements can be complex. This complexity can make it challenging to communicate the value proposition succinctly. - Competition and Differentiation The market is crowded with competitors, and standing out is more challenging than ever. Service providers must not only be excellent at what they do but also be able to articulate their unique selling points clearly. - Economic Fluctuations The demand for professional services is often tied to the economic climate. In times of economic downturn, companies tend to cut back on spending, particularly on services that they perceive as non-essential. - The Shift to Digital The digital transformation has changed the way services are delivered and consumed. Clients now expect seamless online experiences, and service providers must adapt to these technological expectations without losing the personal touch. - Conclusion Selling professional services today requires a deep understanding of these challenges. Success lies in addressing the intangibility by building strong client relationships, articulating a clear value proposition, and adapting to the digital landscape. It's about being a trusted advisor, not just a service provider. #professionalservices #digitaltransformaton

So many discussions, #hopes, #fears, #needs, #fails and #successes around #CRM / #CDP. But what‘s important when it comes to CRM/CDP projects? I think it’s often too much of a #tech story and too little of a #people story. We talk about #hyperindividualisation a lot, but only when it comes to end customers, not our own people in the companies. Read the full interview linked below (in German) or, if you don’t have the time and the leisure to go through it in full, here’s a quick sum up of my point of view: 🤝 a thoroughly developed „#WHY“ is crucial - way before we think about which platforms we want to implement and which #usecases we want to tackle. 👉 Take the time to think, discuss and communicate. You will get rewarded. 🤝 CRM is never just a „tech“ or a „#marketing“ or a „#sales“ thing. It’s an organisational thing. Tasks of your people will change. Internal processes will change. 👉 This needs professional #guidance, you don’t only need consultants, you might also need a #coach. 🤝 it’s people who make the real #difference, not tech. And people are most likely still the most powerful force in your organisation. #Individuals and #teams can push or block projects, intentionally or unintentionally. 👉 take their concerns, hopes and fears seriously. Those who are affected are those who should be involved, as early as possible. In the end, of course, it’s a business case. You usually don’t make business cases without considering your people. What are your experiences with CRM related projects, are you experiencing something similar? Let me know, let’s discuss, let’s help each other to achieve #realliferesults https://lnkd.in/dCeYNqwr Plan.Net Group #wegetitdone

A LIBRARY OF CHOICES Our Strategy is founded on the Strategic Choices that we make. They are mixed for positioning our business to achieve an enhanced current Competitive Advantage, or innovative future ones. There are two Strategy dimensions along which we make these choices: ⇨ Problems to Solve ⇨ Solutions to Deliver The Penta Model, evolved from late Arnoldo C. Hax's Delta Model, is a library of Strategic Choices types that allow us to easier assess the Problems that we aim to solve with our Strategy and the Solutions that best address them. Let's take a look: PROBLEMS TO SOLVE A1. Mid-Market Problem: Niche buyer needs A2. Market Edges Problems: Exceptional class [buyer] belonging (top-tier customers), or the opposite, Affordability to buy (commodity, long-tail customers) B1. Proximity Problem: Quick & easy buyer’s access B2. Sales Chain Problems: Deproxying buyer relations, or the opposite, Proxy-focused scaling (e.g. franchising) C1. Value Stream Problem: Value Stream [repositioning for] cost reduction C2. Adjacents Problems: [Addressing] Related buyer needs, or Defend against disruption D1. Substitutes Problems: Imperfect legacy solutions [replacement], or Obsoleting legacy buyer needs [by replacing them] D2. Expansion / New Geographies Problems: [Addressing] Foreign buyer needs, or Foreign buyer needs intimacy E1. Trend Markets Problems: [Addressing] Unsophisticated buyer needs, or Novelty quest needs E2. New Markets Problems: New needs innovation, or Mostly unsolved needs (marginal buyers) SOLUTIONS TO DELIVER F1. Cost Leadership Solutions: Lower internal or external costs F2. Differentiation Solutions: Develop product differentiation [competitive factors], or [introduce] Product innovative enhancements (sustaining innovations) G1. Customer Intimacy Solutions: Optimize the customer CX [pleasure-pain] curve, or Serve the market-of-one (for advanced customization) G2. Value-Adding Solutions: Develop a horizontal portfolio (one-stop-shop), or Add-ons to enhance products H1. Exclusive Channel Solution: Block competitor’s access [to customers], or Gain exclusive access (with Exclusivity or Licensing) H2. Dominant Exchange Solutions: Control the value exchange (multi-sided business), or Become the customer proxy (for transaction brokerage) I1. Proprietary Ecosystem Solutions: Turn product’s success into a standard, or Develop a network of complementors I2. Unique Enablers Solutions: Turn unique capabilities into new products, or Use the VRIN resources for new products J1. Disruptive Innovation Solutions: Incumbent products made accessible [technology-based], or [Launch] Lighter versions of existing products  J2. Conceptual Innovation Solutions: [Launch] Conceptually new products, or [Apply the] 4-way framework for new products Also read: THE STRATEGY CYCLE https://lnkd.in/drwFzvyr WHAT IS THE PENTA MODEL? https://lnkd.in/gg22Vq5V THE BALANCE OF STRATEGIC CHOICES https://lnkd.in/dAENPn2K

If you’re a B2B company you need a customer impact scorecard as a strategic weapon 🚀 And here is why: 👁️ Customer-centric focus - Time to see through your customers' eyes. Are they generating value as expected? Are they using as expected? Ask these questions daily. 💥Impact assessment - Don't dismiss the 'So what?' factor. Are your solutions delivering the expected financial and strategic punch? And, more importantly, who benefits? C-suite? Management? Know this and maximise. 📈 Your success with them - Beyond the sale, it's about post-purchase performance. Does it align with expectations? If it does, then you should be thinking about growth opportunities. Drive this intel to other teams for upselling and cross-selling prowess. Quick Wins? 🚀 1. Quarterly audits: Owned and driven by a customer-impact obsessed individual. 2. Monthly reviews: Track, assess, and drive action - Tailor actions for teams based on data for up-sell, cross-sell or performance improvement. The customer impact scorecard isn't just a tool to track usage and NPS. It's a philosophy for nurturing relationships, delivering value, and driving growth. #CustomerSuccess #B2B #GrowthStrategy #Business #Tech

The Critical Role of Sales Operations and Planning in Modern Organizations In today's fast-paced and competitive business environment, the importance of effective Sales Operations and Planning (S&OP) cannot be overstated. These functions serve as the backbone of any successful sales strategy, ensuring that an organization can meet its revenue goals while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. This article explores both the importance and the challenges of S&OP in contemporary organizations. Alignment of Sales and Business Goals: S&OP processes ensure that sales strategies are aligned with overall business objectives. This alignment is crucial for the coherent execution of company-wide goals, from revenue targets to market expansion plans. Data-Driven Decision Making: With the advent of big data and advanced analytics, S&OP enables data-driven decision-making. This means leveraging historical sales data, market trends, and predictive analytics to forecast demand accurately and plan accordingly. Resource Optimization: Effective S&OP helps in optimizing the allocation of resources—be it manpower, budget, or inventory. By predicting demand more accurately, companies can reduce waste, improve efficiency, and better serve their customers. Improved Customer Satisfaction: By ensuring that the right products are available at the right time, S&OP enhances customer satisfaction. This not only helps in retaining existing customers but also attracts new ones, contributing to long-term business growth. Risk Mitigation: S&OP allows organizations to foresee potential risks and devise strategies to mitigate them. Whether it's supply chain disruptions, market volatility, or internal inefficiencies, a robust S&OP framework can help navigate these challenges effectively. Challenges in Sales Operations and Planning Data Integration: One of the significant challenges is integrating data from various sources. Organizations often struggle with disparate systems that do not communicate well with each other, making it difficult to get a holistic view of the sales landscape. Forecast Accuracy: Despite advanced tools and technologies, achieving high forecast accuracy remains a challenge. Market conditions can change rapidly, and even the most sophisticated models can sometimes fail to predict these changes accurately. Cross-Functional Collaboration: S&OP requires seamless collaboration between different functions such as sales, marketing, finance, and supply chain. However, silos within organizations often hinder this collaboration, leading to misalignment and inefficiencies. Change Management: Implementing new S&OP processes and tools often requires significant changes to existing workflows and mindsets. Resistance to change among employees can slow down the adoption of these new processes, impacting their effectiveness. #SalesOperations #Planning #BusinessStrategy #DataDriven #CustomerSatisfaction #LinkedIn #SMP20 #iimcalcutta

With competition becoming rampant, how do you validate the costs of your services to your customers? The answer centers around your "Value Proposition. " --- How can crafting a "Clear Value Proposition" benefit your brand? 1. Sets you apart from the competition 2. Succinctly expresses the unique advantages you offer 3. Establishes your place in the desired market or segment . . . 4. Helps attract the right customers 5. Simplifies marketing efforts by providing a clear focus 6. Increases loyalty by delivering "what's expected from your brand" . . . 7. Encourages Solution-Selling, foundational to winning customers 8. Provides a strong foundation for business decisions and strategies 9. Done consistently, it grows your credibility and trust with your customers These factors create a "strong customer sentiment" toward your value-based product or service pricing. . . It "prepares your customer" for the cost of services by associating a premium value with your brand. --- How do you craft a value proposition that acts as leverage? 1. Start by understanding the pains and gains of your customers 2. Analyze your competition -> Assess gaps and value differentiation 3. Define, Tailor, and Test your USP (regularly) -> Adapt to customer shifts . . . 4. Focus on the Clarity and Specificity of your offerings 5. Educate your Customer - Proactively address questions 6. Signal Relevance, Tangible Outcomes and Differentiation . . . 7. Avoid vagueness, generalization, and confusing jargon 8. Evolve your USP and Value Proposition as market shifts happen 9. Don't overpromise. Instead, focus on delivering Higher Perceived Value . PS: How has your value proposition evolved over the last 1-2 years? Is it creating the right customer sentiment? Share with us in the comments below.

How do customers use a product or service? Understanding this means customer-centricity at its core. It is therefore not just a marketing and sales task. But a crucial success factor for every company. ⬇️ Read the full article to explore the insights shared by our experts on the importance of comprehensive research and analysis in keeping customers at the heart of everything we do. https://lnkd.in/ekqz2gwp planung&analyse, Jungheinrich AG, Heiko Tullney, Michael Leitl #CustomerCentricity #B2BSuccess

More ♥️ between Marketing & Sales – a German article by Martin Hartig in the B2B publication marconomy – #matelsointhepress Our matelso Head of Solution Management & Consulting Martin Hartig describes one of the main topics that is not only driving us as a MarTech provider, but also most of our customers who have implemented our #CallTracking and #LeadManagement solutions: → How can the marketing and sales departments – especially in B2B companies and SMBs – create more interconnected and efficient processes to maximize their combined success. But to solve this problem is not as hard as one might think! If marketers and sales specialists follow these seven steps it can be real easy – and with the help of our #matelsoplatform: → Step 1: Offer customers easy access to all the communication channels they love on your website → Step 2: Bring all leads together in one place and make them visible for marketing & sales → Step 3: Create an overview of lead data for your sales staff –before they go into a conversation → Step 4: Enable data-supported decisions during live sales and consulting conversations (boosted with #AI) → Step 5: Guarantee a meaningful #LeadScoring after each call or conversation → Step 6: Continuously increase the marketing ROI → Step 7: Integrate all data and insights into your CRM systems and analytics tools Follow this guide and success is almost guaranteed! Read the German article here: https://lnkd.in/es95rCqm

The entire value chain can be modified using the value chain reconfiguration method. The steps are as follows: Step 1: Identify the real customer, focusing on the decision-maker in the purchase, which may not be the payer (e.g., the doctor, not the patient, chooses the medications) Step 2: Identify the customer's value chain, understanding what the customer values. A firm can create value for its customers in two ways: 1) By reducing costs for the customer (e.g., reducing direct product usage costs, such as labor costs, or decreasing the product usage rate, etc.). 2) By improving the performance of its products, leading to better satisfaction of needs. Step 3: Determine the hierarchy of the customer's purchase criteria, including precise measures of what creates value for the customer. Step 4: Evaluate the consistency between different elements of the value chain, emphasizing that internal consistency is more important than the isolated performance of each activity. Step 5: Assess the cost of differentiation, which is related to factors affecting the costs of value-creating activities and involves specific costs. Step 6: Make decisions to succeed in differentiation, including increasing differentiation sources in the value chain, aligning the firm's intended use with the customer's actual use (through usage advice, customer training, communication), transforming the specific cost of differentiation into an advantage, identifying new emerging purchase criteria Step 7: Ensure the sustainability of the chosen differentiation strategy &Source STUDI

Complex but Clear.