Marketing & Customer Strategy
Two Pricing "Constants"
Alan Perlis, the first head of the Computer Science Department at Carnegie-Mellon University, often told his…
Two Percent For Looking In The Mirror Twice
Recent work involving the use of pricing analytics has provided some interesting insights about profit management…
Avoiding The Vicious Cycle Of Pricing
While working on a growth strategy assignment with a major business-to-business supplier, we observed several fascinating…
Using Service Strategies To Avoid Price Pressures
At a recent workshop, we distributed a “quiz” with 10 quotes which we said were from…
Innovation: Fuel For Breakout Growth
At a meeting with one of our clients, we provided their executive team with a short…
Success! Now What?
A company with which our firm worked recently communicated some good news: They had been selected…
Pricing Isn’t A Four Letter Word
When the topic of pricing arises, anticipation often follows that the discussion will be unpleasant, putting…
Make Them An Offer They Can Refuse
In the early 70s, one of the phrases of the day was “Make him an offer…
Expanding The Market For High Tech Devices
The Challenge: Our client acquired a company that manufactured an extremely expensive, high tech piece of…
We Aren’t The Champions: Achieving Success As A Second Mouse
When, if ever, will the Chinese competitors graduate from being ‘fast followers’ to become true innovators?…
Turn Your Customer Into A Partner
Most companies invest a significant level of resources in activities designed to identify business partners and…
They Only Had One Pig
During a recent discussion, a customer of one of my clients described an episode of the…
The Standard is the Standard
Getting the standards right is only a part of the equation that defines sustained success and…
The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese
Driving into Tampa recently, we saw a sign that read “The early bird gets the worm,…
Stand By Me
Recently, I participated in a conference attended primarily by technology integrators, firms that provided high-end solutions…
Solutions To Growth Challenges
In recent years, “solutions” has become among the most popular one-word strategy summaries. Many firms, finding little…
My Customer’s Competitor Is My…
An Arabian proverb says, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” While the logic is…
It’s My Own Damn Fault
Taking steps to avoid unnecessary instances in which your direct customer is a price buyer is…
It’s a Pricing Problem, Not a Price Problem
In an interview with an executive in a large national industrial distribution firm recently, I asked…
Get Your Price
Blue Canyon Partners’ George F. Brown Jr. on how to invest in your pricing strategy. When…
CoDestiny Relationships With Government
America’s governmental institutions face many more changes in the years to come. A major part of…
CoDestiny Relationships With Channel Partners
CoDestiny[1] relationships come in many flavors. The most frequent ones involve suppliers and their end customers….
Building Strong Foundations for Customer Relationships
It takes a significant effort on the part of suppliers and customers alike to ensure that…
Best-in-Class Behaviors in Business-to-Business Relationships
Competency in managing strategic account relationships yields customers who are satisfied and see value, and, in…
Supplier-Customer Success Stories: How the Best Firms Collaborate to Drive Growth
This paper builds upon insights drawn from thousands of supplier-customer success stories to identify the most…
‘Supplier Driven’ and ‘Channel Driven’ Business Models
For many business-to-business suppliers, their customer chains involve channel organizations and one or more stages of…
Business-to-Business Economics
Business-to-business suppliers face a complex market and economic environment. Their direct customers and end customers bring…
Troubled Waters
In today’s business environment, where every firm has to focus intensely on the ways in which…
Sitting on the Bulls-Eye
One of my all-time favorite Far Side™ cartoons showed a deer with a target on its…
Taking Action to Sustain Customer Relationships
Most companies invest a significant level of resources in activities designed to identify business partners and…