Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
I n fle xi on - P oi n t S t ra t e gy P a rt n e rs L im it e d | www .in fle xion - p oin t .com | +4 4 (0) 118 975 0595
Introduction
We work with B2B companies to help them implement repeatable,
scalable and predictable sales and market ing processes. Our clients
include early stage companies who are striving to Cross the Chasm
from early adopters to mainstream markets, as well as more established
organisations who wish to refocus their sales and marketing activities
and revita lise their revenue and pro fit gro wth.
Whats
Holding
Your
Organisation
Back?
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
Assessment
Hi ghly Scalable
Reactive
Demographic
Firmographic
Focus on
Stakeholders
2: Repeatability of Solutions
Random
Standardised
Replicable
Provably
Better
Benefits
Focused
Distinctively
Different
Solution
Focused
Mostly
Inbound
Embedded
Process
Buyer-Aligned
Process
Enthusiastic
Adoption
Shared
Plans
Strategic
Contributor
Ideal
Customer
Highly
Repeatable
Truly
Unique
Outcome
Focused
Socially
Integrated
Agile
Process
Buyer
Centric
Revenue Cycle
Management
Fully
Integrated
Trusted
Partner
Scalability Factor
3: Market
Differenti ati on
4: Offering Focus
5: Marketing Foc us
6: Sales Process
7: Customer Focus
8: CRM Adoption
9: Sales - Mktg Integration
10: Customer Relationships
Undifferentiated
Feature
Focused
Mostly
Outbound
Random
Process
Sales
Centric
No
CRM
No
Alignment
Approved
Vendor
Common
Components
Somewhat
Better
Advantages
Focused
Experimenting
with Inbound
Informal
Process
Buyer-Aware
Milestones
Basic
CRM
Grudging
Cooperation
Preferred
Supplier
In Transition
Formal
Process
Buyer-Aware
Process
Widespread
CRM
Aligned
Solutions
Consultant
.
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
10 Key Factors
The ten factors in our Business Scalability Matrix span both external
and internal issues. The idea of the matrix has its foundations in the
pioneering work done on Capability and Maturity Models done by
Carnegie Mellon University several decades ago.
Focus
on
Clarity
of
2 Repeatability
3 Market
B2B
Of cours e, t here have been m any subs equ ent variations on t he origina l
theme. Our own Business Scalability Matrix is particularly focused on
the factors that affect the scalability of B2B companies that are
involved in hig h-v alue, com ple x sales envi ronments .
For each of the following sections, well define the five relevant
maturity levels as well as highlighting some of the things we consider
4 Offering
Sales
The exercise is most effective when condu cted with a clear sense of
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
9 Sales
Focus
Process
7 Customer
CRM
Solutions
Focus
5 Marketing
6
of
Focus
Differentiation
Market
Focus
Adoption
-
10 Customer
Marketing
Integration
Relationships
1 : Re a c ti v e
building sc alab le bus iness es - and it s not hard to underst and why.
2: Demographic
Y o u r c o mp an y s t ar g e t m ar k e t d e fi n it io n s ar e b as e d o n
the trad ition al demo graphic seg mentatio n factor s
(in du str y, size, location , etc.).
Y o ur co mp an y s t ar g e t mar k e t d e fi ni ti o ns c o ns is te n tl y g o
be yon d d emo graphics to r eflect str uctur al, env iro nmen tal
an d b e h av io ur a l c o n s id e r at io n s .
4 : F o cus o n S t a ke ho l de r s
You r target market defin itions also include detailed
pro files of the key stakeho lders who are likely to b e
i n vo l v ed i n t h e b u yi n g d e ci s io n p r o c e s s .
5 : I de a l C usto me r
Y o ur p r o ce s s act iv el y en co u r ag e s s al es p eo p le t o
dis qu alify pr os pe cts th at fail to meet enough of your
id eal custo mer criter ia.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
Beyond
Demographics
3: Firmographic
An
S ca lab ility
M at rix
2: Repeatability of Solutions
Its hard to build a scalable business unless you have the ability to
UNSCALABL E
1: Ra ndo m
Repeatable
Solutions,
Repeatable
2 : C o mmo n C o mp o ne nts
Sales
But this isnt just about repeatable, clearly defined product or service
offerings . It also requires repeat able, s cal able and pre dicta ble s ales
and marketing processes. And it depends - as we observed when we
addressed the issue of clarity of market focus - on having a crystalclear view of what an ideal customer looks like.
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
3: Standar dised
You have established standardised product or service
offe rin gs that yo u are marke ting & s elling in a r easo nably
co n s i s te n t f as h i o n .
The major ity o f yo ur reven ues co me from clearly defin ed,
s tan d ar d is ed pr o du ct an d s er vice o ffe r in g s so ld i n a
r ep eatab le, co ns is ten t way.
5 : H ig hl y Re p ea ta b le
Does this mean that the whole organisation sells the same thing the
Int rodu ct i on
4: Replicable
An
Yo u r so lu ti on s ar e cr e ate d f ro m s cr atch t o a dd r e ss
un iqu e custo mer needs , with little stand ard isation . Ever y
sale seems hand-crafted.
M at rix
M o r e th an 90 % o f yo u r r e ve n ue s & p ro f its c om e fr o m
clearly def ined , stand ard ised product and service
offe rin gs sold in a con sis tent way.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
3: Market Differentiation
1 : Und i ff e r e nt ia t e d
basis for sustained differentiation - even if you believe you can prove
HIGHLY SCALABLE
t o
the
Bu sin ess
Develop
Distinctive
Point
of
View
5 : T r ul y Uni que
Int rodu ct i on
4: Distinctively Different
An
it. Its simply too easy for competitors to copy your features and up
S ca lab ility
M at rix
4: Offering Focus
OFFERING FOCUS
UNSCALABL E
of view - one that resonates with your target audience and enables
1 : F e a t ur e F o cuse d
your organisation to stand out from the crowd. There are similarly
Yo u m ar k et you r pr od u ct o r se r vi ce o f fe r in g in t e rm s th at
l ar g e ly r e vo l ve a r o un d t h e f eat ur e s an d /or spe ci fi c at io n s
of y o u r s o l u t i on .
Your
Customers
Care
About
2 : A d v a nta g e s F o c use d
Outcomes
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
Yo u m ar k et you r pr od u ct o r se r vi ce o f fe r in g in t e rm s th at
l ar g e ly r ev o lv e ar o un d t he ad van tag e s o f yo ur s o lu ti on
co m par e d t o co m pe ti to r s .
3 : B e n e fi ts F o c use d
Y o u m ar k e t you r p r od u ct o r s e r vi ce o ff er i ng wi th a
p r i mar y f o cu s o n t h e s u p er i o r b en e fi ts you r s o l u ti o n
d e li ve r s co m par e d t o co mp e ti to r s .
4: S o luti o n Fo cuse d
Y o u m ar k e t you r p r od u ct o r s e r vi ce o ff er i ng wi th a
p r i m ar y f o cu s o n t h e b u s i n es s i s su e s a n d p rob l e ms y o u r
s o l u ti o n can ad dr e s s .
5: Outcome Fo cused
Y o u m ar k e t you r p r od u ct o r s e r vi ce o ff er i ng wi th a
p r i mar y f o cu s o n t h e o u t co m es yo u r cu s to m er s can
expect to achieve fr om implementin g it.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
5: Marketing Focus
MARKETING FOCUS
UNSCALABL E
Your pros pects have come to hate conven tional, int errupt- driven
HIGHLY SCALABLE
t o
the
Bu sin ess
From
Outbound
to
Inbound
and
Beyond
The nature of buying has changed. Your prospects are better informed
than ever before, and bett er equipped t o s earch for solut ions. They
hate being sold to, but are keen to learn.
Our observations of highly scalable companies suggest that they have
traditional outbound marketing and have been amongst the first to
refocus their efforts on inbound marketing activities.
They are deve loping a reputation for thou ght leadership, ha ve become
5 : S o c i a ll y I nte g r a te d
Int rodu ct i on
campaig ns .
An
S ca lab ility
M at rix
6: Sales Process
SALES PROCESS
From
Random
to
Agile
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
Int rodu ct i on
1 : Ra nd o m P r o ce ss
2 : I nf o r ma l P r o ce ss
An
UNSCALABL E
M at rix
HIGHLY SCALABLE
7: Customer Focus
CUSTOME R FOCUS
UNSCALABL E
1 : S a l e s C e ntr i c
Your sales process - assuming you have one - revolves
ar o u nd de fin in g th e actio n s yo u e xp ect yo u r s ale s p eo p le
to un dertake .
2 : B uy e r - A wa re M il e sto ne s
The milestones that control progres s between the key
s tag e s i n yo ur s al es p r o ce s s ar e b a sed o n o b se r vab le
e vi d en ce o f bu ye r b eh av io u r .
3 : B uy e r - A wa re P ro c e ss
Each s tag e in t he pr o ce ss i s car e fu lly alig n ed with t he
e q u i va le n t p h a s e i n y ou r p r o s p e ct s b u yi n g de ci s io n
p r o c es s .
Your pro cess anticipates and addresses the issues,
co n ce r ns a nd mo ti vati on s o f e ach ke y stak eho ld e r at e ach
s tag e o f t he ir b u yi ng d e ci si o n pr o ce s s.
You r sales process is explicitly desig ned to facil itate
and accelerate each phase in your prosp ects buying
decision process.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
t o
the
Bu sin ess
Wheres
the
Evidence?
One of the first things we look for when assessing the strength of
customer focus is the extent to which milestones are based on
observable evidence of buyer activity or intent, rather than on
reported sales activity.
5 : B uy e r C e ntr i c
Int rodu ct i on
4 : B uy e r A l i gne d P ro c e ss
An
S ca lab ility
M at rix
10
8: CRM Adoption
CRM ADOPTION
Administration
or
Sales
Enablement?
between the sales and marketing processes - no CRM system can hope
to deliver on its potential.
Look at the list on the right. Where would you place your organisation?
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
1: No CRM
T he r e may b e i so late d is lan d s o f C RM ad o p tio n , bu t yo u
have no t yet implemented a cons istent company-wide
CRM so lution.
2 : B a si c C RM
Yo u h av e a co mp an y- wid e C RM s ys te m b u t are s till u sin g
many o f th e d efaults the system came with in areas like
sales stage defin ition.
3: Wide spre ad CRM
Yo u r C RM s ys te m h as b ee n fu lly cu s to mis ed to m ee t yo ur
n e e d s a n d i s i n w id e s p r e ad act iv e u s e t h r ou gh o u t t h e
s al es o r g an is at io n .
4; Ent husia stic A do pti o n
You r CRM syste m is wid ely an d enth us iastically emb raced
b y all s ale s an d mar k etin g p eo p le , wh o se e it as a tr u e
sales enablemen t system.
5 : Re v e nue C y cl e M a na ge me nt
An
UNSCALABL E
S ca lab ility
M at rix
HIGHLY SCALABLE
11
SALES-MARKETING INTEGRATION
UNSCALABL E
Improving Sales and Market ing Alig nment has been a high priority
goal for CEOs over many years. Yet the continued failure to align and
1: No A li gnme nt
Ther e is fru strating ly little e viden ce o f align ment
b e twe en y o u r s al es a n d m ar k e ti ng o p er at io n s o r th e ir
res pective activities.
2 : G r ud gi ng C o op e r a ti o n
Sal es a nd m ar k eti ng a r e cap ab le o f wo r k ing to g e th e r o n
an ad-h oc basis b ut there is no fo rmal basis for alignin g
ob jectives and activities.
3: Aligned
T he r e is a s tr o ng s en s e o f r e sp e ct an d c ol labo r ati on
between sales and marketing with clos ely aligne d
ob jectives and activities.
Sale s an d m ar k etin g s h ar e a co mmo n p lan n ing p ro ce ss
an d a co mb in ed s ale s an d mar k etin g p lan s at b o th th e
str ateg ic and tacti cal lev el .
5 : F ul l y Inte g r a te d
You r sales and marke ting activit ies are fully aligne d and
integr ated, with s hared ob jectives, g oals, metrics and
co m p e n s at io n p l an s .
HIGHLY SCALABLE
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
Are
you
Aligned
or
Falling
Behind?
If you doubt that the effort is worth it, consider some of the latest
research conduct ed by Sir iusDecisions : th ey found that hi ghly aligned
and well-integrated B2B organisations enjoyed a 23.7% higher 3- year
averag e revenue growth - and a 27.8% hi gher average profit growth.
The foundation for sales and marketing alignment and integration lies
4 : S ha r e d P l a ns
An
in mutual respect and shared goals. But a growing number of the top
performing com panies go further than t hat in es tablishing an
environment that promot es winning beha viours.
They have taken pains to ensure that personal and departmental
objectives, metrics, and - this is key to maximising performance compensat ion plans are des igne d t o reward collabo ration.
Look at the list on the left. Where would you place your organisation?
S ca lab ility
M at rix
12
CUSTOME R RELATIONSHIPS
Trust
Agility
The figures come from their latest annual survey of key sales trends,
organisat ions acro ss a range of indus tries . The combinat ion o f a gile
dynamic sales processes (factor 6) and Trusted Partner relationships
appears to be particul arly power ful in driv ing s uperior performa nce.
Weve observed that Approved V endor a nd Trust ed P artner
statuses are associated with different mindsets - the first thinks in
terms of selling their products while the latter thinks about solving
their customers problems.
Executive le vel rel ations hips, joint plann in g s ess ions and s hared
risk/reward models are all characteristic of trusted partnerships.
Look at the list on the right. Where would you place your organisation?
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
1: Appr ov ed Vendor
T he m aj or ity o f yo ur c u sto mer s r e g ar d yo u a s a
legitimate so lutio n pr ovid er, bu t see little meanin gfu l
difference b etween you and your competitor s.
2 : P r e f e r re d S u pp l ier
B as ed o n yo u r r e pu tatio n an d th eir pas t de alin g s with
yo u , m o st cu s to m er s r eg ar d yo u as t h e p r e fe rr e d v e nd o r
w it h w h o m t o d o b u s in e s s wi th i n y o u r m ar k e t s p a ce .
3: S o luti o ns Co nsul ta nt
An
UNSCALABL E
M at rix
M o s t c u st o mer s r e g ar d yo u r or g an i sat io n as n o t j u st
an o th e r ve nd o r - mo r e a val ue d r e so ur ce wh o can h e lp
th e m g e t th e mo s t ou t o f yo u r p ro d u cts o r s er v ice s.
4: S tra teg ic Co ntri buto r
R at he r th an j us t a co nsu l tan t o n th e u se o f you r o ff er in gs ,
cu s tom er s r eg ard yo u as a so ur ce of str ate g ic i nsi gh t in to
th e br oader-b ased challenges they are f acing.
5 : T r u ste d P a r tne r
Y o u ar e se e n as a lo n g - ter m p a r tn er who s e co n t r ib u ti o n s
- i n th e fo r m o f o ffe r ing s , in s igh ts an d p ro ce ss es - ar e
r e gar d ed as v ital to y o ur cu s to me r s l on g te rm s ucce ss .
HIGHLY SCALABLE
13
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
14
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
15
About Inflexion-Point
Founded by Bob Apollo, a former technology company executive who
has helped build scalable businesses from start-ups to established
market leaders, Inflexion-Point is one of the UKs leading B2B sales
and marketing performance improvement specialists.
Our research-b ased, eviden ce-driven appr oach is enabling a grow ing
number of clients to shorten sales cycles, increase sales win rates and
acce lerate revenu e growth.
We help them est ablish repeatable, sca lable and predi ctable s ales and
marketing processes that reflect the latest best practices as well as a
superior underst anding o f who t heir bes t cust omers and prospect s
are, and how and why they choose to buy.
As a result, were equipping promising early stage companies to
Cross the Chasm that separates early adopters from mainstream
markets, and enabling established organisations to refocus their sales
and marketing acti vities and to revitalise their revenue growth.
You can learn more at our website www.inflexion -point. com or by
calling us on +44 (0) 118 975 0595.
We encourage you to subscribe to our blog at www.in flexio npoint.com/ blog, and to follow Bob on Twitter http://twitter.com/bobapollo
or LinkedIn htt p://uk.linkedin .com/in/bob apollo.
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
16
www.inflexion-point.com
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
17