Partnership – the unexpected? 

In business to business marketing, it can be hard to share what we learn and share the secrets of successes more openly. Sometimes it’s because it’s confidential. Sometimes it’s because it is so complex, with lessons that need to be translated into different industries and businesses. Sometimes success is a question of the right strategy (or change of strategy) at the right time, sometimes it’s about willingness to invest – whether in new technologies, new strategies or new models. Sometimes it’s a question of whether companies are prepared to address skills issues through recruitment and training. It is always about the customer base!

We often act as conduits or “chief networkers”. We bring people and best practice together. We help form new partnerships. We have been developing ideas for this year focusing on Business 4 Business – the new frontier! This means we are focusing on situations of true partnership between businesses. These include:

• Building strong, professional, long-term relationship, supported by the right business models, strategies, data, information technology and skills
• Creating strong cross-functional/cross-partnership teams and collaborations, balancing the needs of clients and suppliers
• Adding value to relationships, between companies and between employees, based on strong multi-sided propositions
• Managing change, balancing the need for new directions with the need to ensure stability of existing contracts and relationships, using state of the art techniques of programme design, proposition development, communicating, training and motivation
• Helping smaller businesses and start-ups work more effectively with larger business, based on the above principles

Keep in touch – let us know – are you interested in:

• A specific issue you need help with e.g. addressing a problem with clients or suppliers; assessing the impact of your programme, proposition or strategy; designing or implementing your programme/proposition, implementing your proposition; developing your leaders and all your people
• Discussing your B4B relationship challenges with us – “a B4B check-up“
• Meeting informally with us/others to debate and share ideas
• Developing and/or delivering events with your partners, customers or suppliers
• Researching B4B questions, such as what your customers, partners or suppliers need and how well you are delivering it.

Liz Machtynger, Merlin Stone & The Customer Essential Network.

We have been successful in working to unlock the approach for and with companies and have the ideas, experience, skills and methods to add true value and design the customer strategy and proposition that fits a particular company, brand and team.

Contact the team: Liz.machtynger@customeressential.com, Merlin@merlin-stone.com