The importance of branding and brand architecture is well established in business-to-consumer (B2C) settings. But in business-to-business (B2B) settings, managers tend to believe that personal selling is the key, and brand building tends to be overlooked. However, authors Steve Muylle, Niraj Dawar and Deva Rangarajan argue that B2B branding and personal selling should be seen as complements, rather than as an either/or choice.
In general, people performing a sales function are quite satisfied. However, they would not recommend their company to others looking for a sales job. This is the surprising conclusion of a recent study on sales force effectiveness conducted by Professor Deva Rangarajan, head of the Sales Management Forum at Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School. The findings are based on qualitative interviews with both senior sales executives and sales people in the field from over 40 companies, combined with a quantitative online questionnaire.
The Resourceful Paradox - interview with Prof. Marion De Bruyne The cost of failing to react to competition can be exceptionally high: challengers often topple market leaders. An examination of how resources influence the way managers weigh ...
Customers may be looking for more than just useful features when they invest in a branded product – they may be seeking a soul-mate! When a radical new product appears on the market it can threaten a company’s relationship with existing customers who may be tempted to change brands. So what makes them consider switching and how does a brand ensure their customers’ loyalty when such disruptions to the market occur?
Engineers & marketers: too many cooks in the kitchen? Professor Steve Muylle discusses a frequently recurring issue within B2B marketing by means of a few relevant cases: engineers and marketers have a diferent view point on product mark...
Attract new customers using social media How can you attract new customers using social media in a B2B environment? People put up profiles on different social networks around the world. How do you leverage this? Prof. Steve Muylle discusses this top...
Social media in B2B environment What is social media and how relevant is it for b2b markets? How can social media supports lead generation, product development and/or customer services? Professor Steve Muylle explains with a successful business cas...
Does your organisation want to differentiate from competitors? Are you increasingly becoming aware of the sales person’s role in helping you achieving this purpose? Sales people can serve as a value creator to the customer. They help the ...