Organic Growth: Cost-Effective Business Expansion from Within

ORGANIC GROWTH......Page 3
CONTENTS......Page 9
Foreword......Page 17
Introduction......Page 23
PART I: THE CHALLENGE......Page 25
1 Three Propositions......Page 29
We have become unable to anticipate......Page 31
Accumulating customer projects instead of having a customer account perspective......Page 32
The organic growth approach......Page 34
Back to basics......Page 35
Keep sharpening your competitive advantage......Page 36
Business story: Confronting business reality at Heytens......Page 37
Business story: Meal voucher lookalikes......Page 39
The customer as the essence of organic growth......Page 43
Business story: Rieter: Promoted to a higher league......Page 44
Business story: CMD: Turning down a growth opportunity does not mean maintaining the status quo......Page 45
PART II: CREATING THE TECHNICAL CONDITIONS......Page 49
6 A Way to Handle Strategic Issues......Page 53
Competitive advantage – a hackneyed concept?......Page 54
Business story: Heytens, mass market furniture fabrics producer......Page 56
A relevant combination to confront reality......Page 59
Business story: We are the champions of quality......Page 63
Business story: Two weeks......Page 67
Difference is the strategic goal – process effectiveness is the means for prolonging it......Page 69
Business story: The unsolicited guest......Page 71
Business story: Oh s***!......Page 72
Summary......Page 74
Action point......Page 75
7 Keeping Track of Business Reality......Page 77
Ratio no. 1: Customer satisfaction......Page 78
Business story: It does not even take off!......Page 80
Business story: The answer is people mobility, not size......Page 81
The importance of the process demands that the customer expectations dimension be revisited......Page 83
Expectations, promise, conformity – who is the target?......Page 85
Business story: A satisfied individual does not necessarily mean a satisfied client......Page 86
Giving the competitor room for manoeuvre......Page 87
Business story: Hit them where they ain’t......Page 88
Ratio no. 2: Customer perceived value......Page 89
Business story: Not to be paid......Page 91
Business story: The challenge of the appropriate unit......Page 94
Business story: We are not concerned, it is not a competitor of ours!......Page 96
Summary......Page 97
Action point......Page 98
8 Your Role in the Customer’s Mind......Page 99
Fixer today, necessary evil tomorrow......Page 100
Necessary evil today, fixer tomorrow......Page 101
Business story: Canal boats in Amsterdam and double-deckers in Tokyo......Page 102
Business story: Charleroi Hospital......Page 103
Business story: From shipping documents to spare parts......Page 104
Business story: Leather goods samples......Page 105
Increasing performance is a high-risk cul-de-sac!......Page 107
Business story: One, two, three – back to business reality!......Page 108
Action point......Page 109
Two distinct phases: which role for top management and even the boss?......Page 111
Business story: Do not allow your sales force to make you play Rambo......Page 112
Business story: The boss cannot lose......Page 114
Business story: 10-5-1-50-1: An unwitting business lottery......Page 116
Business story: Chasing margin to reinvest it in the market price......Page 118
The three facets of the discussion period......Page 120
Business story: U-shaped relationship......Page 121
Business story: It took me nine months to decide......Page 122
Milestones for dialogue-based marketing......Page 123
Business story: 3, 30 or 300?......Page 125
Business story: French factory workers speaking English to the Japanese prospect......Page 126
Permanent relationship marketing and ambassadors......Page 128
Action point......Page 132
10 The 3Cs......Page 133
Business story: Account forecasting card......Page 134
From 2Cs to 3Cs......Page 135
Business story: A sales whiz......Page 138
Business story: They don’t like us......Page 140
Content: diversity and renewal......Page 141
Context: the clue to next year’s sales forecast......Page 143
Kicking organic growth into gear at the customer account level......Page 145
PART III: RECOGNIZE, UNCOVER, PRIORITIZE......Page 149
The organic growth matrix......Page 151
Business story: An early morning fruitful discussion with Pierre......Page 152
Business story: Diminishing customer volatility by 30 per cent......Page 157
Inheriting from the maintenance performance......Page 158
Five steps for building a cross-fertilization campaign......Page 160
Business story: A smart prototype is not a market attack plan......Page 164
Business story: The value of the innovation is unquestionable, but you are not heard......Page 166
Summary......Page 168
Action point......Page 169
12 Think Small, Win Big......Page 171
Business story: Sales development even better, losses worse......Page 172
Small accounts, inappropriate for an optimal portfolio but legitimate......Page 173
Business story: Ready for a stretch goal, hitting 70 birds with one stone!......Page 174
A weak signal behind each large virtual account......Page 177
Business story: Chance favours the prepared mind......Page 178
From weak signals rally to sales......Page 179
Business story: I want the same as Valéo......Page 180
A profile of an effective ambassador......Page 181
Designing the ambassador’s workshop......Page 182
Business story: Nemo auditor......Page 183
Applying the lessons of winning large virtual accounts to specific maintenance circumstances......Page 186
Summary......Page 187
Action point......Page 188
13 Developing New Competitive Horizons – Business Development......Page 191
Business story: The award for business development goes to – who?......Page 192
Business development: a question of core skills......Page 193
Business story: From packaging to design studio and back......Page 194
Business story: We are the difficult content experts......Page 196
Business story: Core skills open doors and comfort friends......Page 198
Business development opportunities impelled by the client......Page 202
Summary......Page 205
Action point......Page 206
3Cs can hide 5Ss......Page 207
Business story: A customer systematically reveals areas of stability......Page 212
Business story: What is behind the announcement of a 37 per cent price cut?......Page 214
Two ratios for a sound customer maintenance approach......Page 216
Summary......Page 218
Kicking organic growth into gear at an account level......Page 219
PART IV: CREATING THE MANAGERIAL CONDITIONS TO SUPPORT ORGANIC GROWTH......Page 221
Business story: The crisis in Asia – an alibi or an excuse?......Page 225
Business story: Dare to get on the customer’s ladder......Page 229
Business story: The crisis in Asia revisited......Page 230
Consideration given to the operational staff in the field......Page 233
Demonstrated care for the customer......Page 234
17 The Prerequisites of the Approach......Page 235
Vision......Page 237
Team spirit......Page 238
No dead wood, no free riders, no fiefdoms – but a dream team......Page 239
Is the relevant information available?......Page 240
Business story: One, two and three......Page 241
Business story: They go skiing......Page 242
Business story: The Conrad in Hong Kong......Page 245
Business story: There are calls and calls: fooling oneself with good intentions......Page 246
Business story: The tough benefits of confronting reality – who are you working for?......Page 247
Mastering the offer: is the executive committee good at playing Lego?......Page 248
Business story: It does not exist......Page 249
Business story: Château bottled for the staff......Page 253
Action point......Page 254
Business story: Nothing to report......Page 255
No confusion about the goal......Page 258
Business story: Zero......Page 259
Listening and observing: laudable goal, but has the right context been created?......Page 260
A customer account call: back to the 3Cs......Page 261
You need a break, not a pause......Page 263
Summary......Page 266
Action point......Page 267
Process–people–patrons: the respective benefits......Page 269
Transforming weak signals into successful market attack plans......Page 272
Was it worth it?......Page 274
Business story: Jean-Frédéric, I am furious......Page 275
Hurry up slowly – skipping the step but not missing the trap......Page 278
Business story: A bug in the network sale......Page 281
Summary......Page 284
Action point......Page 286
Building bridges through organic growth......Page 287
A word from the author......Page 289
Killing your ambassador: the customer’s experience......Page 293
The company responds......Page 309
Index......Page 317