A Customer-oriented Manager for B2B Services. Valerie Mathieu

Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу A Customer-oriented Manager for B2B Services - Valerie Mathieu страница 9

A Customer-oriented Manager for B2B Services - Valerie Mathieu

Скачать книгу

      Peter Drucker, the historical and essential author of management, was one of the first to approach the concept of marketing in the early 1950s. He emphasized that marketing is not a separate and specific function of the company, but a global approach of the company from the customer’s point of view. In this sense, the marketing concept is close to a specific corporate culture based on a set of shared values and beliefs that put the customer at the heart of the company (Deshpandé and Webster 1989). Today, it is easier to speak of a marketing perspective as opposed, for example, to a product or production perspective that focuses more on the company’s offer and its capabilities.

      1.2.1.2. The search for a balance between satisfaction and benefit

      When managers in B2B environments are asked about the percentage of business achieved at such a fine balance, they are often surprised by the proportion of those who acknowledge that they satisfy the customer more than the company. B2B seems to be much more characterized than B2C by an imbalance between satisfaction and profit in favor of the former. The duration of the relationship, the proximity with the customer, the passion for the job and the technical challenge can explain a lesser vigilance of managers on this balance. By wanting to please the customer, the employee often pleases himself/herself first. In this proximity to the customer, which is the basis of customer orientation, saying no to the customer is often difficult.

      However, there are several reasons why a manager might say no to a client:

       – financial and economic reasons: in order to achieve what the client requests, it would be necessary to commit resources (financial, technical, human, time, etc.) that would be too great in relation to the expected return;

       – technical reasons: the provider is not sure to be able to bring the expected result to the customer;

       – safety reasons: what the client asks for carries a risk both for his/her own employees and for the service provider;

       – image reasons: what the customer asks for can damage the reputation of the provider.

      However, we must distinguish between over-quality and customer delight, because while we must guard against the former, the latter is inherent to customer orientation. The notion of delight appears in the field of marketing through the notions of customer satisfaction and experience.

      Table 1.1. Over-quality and customer delight

Over-quality Enchantment
– A superior performance that the provider brings compared to what is expected by the client or what was agreed upon.– The customer does not always perceive this superior performance.– This performance has no real value for the customer.– The customer is not willing to pay for this performance.– The extra performance does not lead to increased customer satisfaction.– But it can mean an additional cost to the provider (direct or indirect, visible or hidden costs).– Example: cleaning an additional space that was not foreseen in the contract. – An additional value that the provider brings to its client that is not expected or asked for.– The customer clearly perceives this additional value.– This additional value brings the customer an additional benefit.– The customer might be willing to pay to benefit from this value.– Customer satisfaction is positively (and strongly) impacted.– It may involve additional cost for the provider, but it is a profitable investment.– Example: cleaning a site at the end of an intervention.

      This issue of the balance between satisfaction and profit questions the relationship between the service provider and its client more broadly. In complex cases and relationships where the financial and technical stakes are high, the question of the commitment of the service provider and also of the client arises. The service provider is not the only one involved in maintaining the balance between satisfaction and profitability. This balance will also depend on the client’s commitment to participate, to get involved in the long-term, to aim towards a partnership relationship. This will in turn justify for the service provider the investment in a relationship which, if it can be unbalanced at the beginning, because it requires taking a real risk, turning out to be more balanced in the long-term.

      1.2.2. Strategic marketing

      Strategic marketing will determine the company’s long-term orientation by deciding on its positioning and its major strategic axes. Strategic marketing relies on a thorough analysis and knowledge of the market and the environment in order to align its structuring decisions.

      1.2.2.1. Knowledge of the market and the environment

      Analyzing one’s environment means first of all locating and identifying each of the actors and then understanding their positions, their evolutions and their strategies in order to anticipate their impact on the company and also to think about collaborative perspectives or the ways in which the company can influence them. This will be the subject of the second part.

      1.2.2.2. Positioning the offer

      Positioning is the heart of strategic marketing by ensuring that the offer has a clear, distinct and privileged place in the customer’s mind so that it is preferred over competing

Скачать книгу