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Map your competitive differentiation: What can you own?
Differentiating your product or brand boils down to two simple questions. 1) What are your customer’s needs and buying criteria? And 2) which of these can your product/brand own? This post outlines a three-step process for mapping dimensions that will differentiate your brand and solution. The outcome provides a conceptual framework of your relative competitive differentiation.
Read MoreHas your customer journey changed course?
The customer journey always evolves. The change can be a slow and steady evolution. Or, the journey can shift dramatically based on sudden changes in market conditions. When the new normal settles in, one thing is guaranteed: The buying journey will be different than it was in January 2020. Do you know what changes will unfold in your customers’ journey?
Read MoreDo your personas need a recession update?
Personas are a mainstay in the toolbox for today’s B2B marketer. Personas should reflect who your customer is. And who they are in the second half of 2020 is not who they were in 2019.
Read MoreHow much of the B2B buyer journey is completed before buyers talk to vendors?
Recent work in a variety of B2B sectors leads us to question the premise that much of the customer journey is completed before prospects reach out to vendors. Our research indicates three product dimensions influence when B2B buyers engage with vendors in the buying process: Product differentiation, business criticality, and complexity.
Read MoreInsights and Strategies for the Next Recession
Economists have sounded the alarm about an impending slow down or recession for almost a year. The corona virus may be the event that makes those predictions a reality. What can B2B marketing teams do to help their companies survive and thrive in challenging times such as these?
Read MoreSix reasons customers churn in B2B markets
When B2B vendors see an uptick in churn, stakeholders generate multiple, sometimes conflicting, hypotheses about the causes: It’s because of a recent price increase. New competitors entered the market. Competitors offer a service or functionality that we don’t. Customers don’t recognize the value the company provides. While it is important to take fast action to stop the bleeding, you don’t want to invest time and resources in a perceived problem only to see little change in customer attrition.
Read MoreLook beyond product for drivers of B2B satisfaction and value
Customer experience, by definition, incorporates all aspects of a company’s offering and cuts across organizational boundaries. Yet, B2B vendors continue to focus on the product as the main driver of customer satisfaction and value. Research by Isurus and other leading consultants shows how a more inclusive analysis of customer experience reveals more accurate and actionable results.
Read MoreMake better strategic investment decisions: Reduce decision bias in M&A due diligence
PE firms and corporate investors compete intensely for investments to expand their portfolio or augment their existing solutions. In the due diligence process, decision makers face the dual pressures of accuracy in a high-stakes decision, and the need to work very quickly. Unfortunately, the time-pressure of makes these decisions vulnerable to the cognitive biases.
Read MoreIsurus’ article on B2B buyer journey featured in Quirk’s Marketing Research Review
The February 2019 issue, focused on B2B market research topics, includes our article “Overcoming Inertia: How to understand sporadic customer journeys in low involvement B2B categories” .
Read MoreAre customer compromises putting your product at risk?
No solution is perfect. Even highly satisfied customers make compromises to use your product or service. Budget is the most obvious trade-off: your product competes against other priorities and needs for budget. Less obvious compromises include the work-arounds customers implement in order to use your product or achieve their desired outcome. Only when an alternative comes to their attention, or a change in management spawns a review of existing processes and tools, do they start to think there might be a better way.
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