An introductory book on B2B marketing, 07 Jan 2008
This book gives the reader some introduction into B2B marketing. It is suitable for undergraduates, or practitioners who need some basic ideas about business marketing.
This book contains a few outdated examples and websites. Also the layout of this book is not very good. A new edition is required.
Don't buy it - opt for "MANAGING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS", 27 Jan 2005
Having worked in line management with relationship marketing for many years, Peppers & Rogers have inspired my thinking on "One-to-One" tremendously. I believe that Peppers & Rogers' most important contribution is to change a company's focus from customer acquisition to customer retention. That is: Stop spending all your money getting new customers and start spending more on keeping and growing existing customers.
But if you have high expectations - like I had back in 2001-, then this book on "B2B One-to-One" will be a huge disappointment. The real good stuff on one-to-one is all found in the first part of the book. But even that is merely a summary of their previously published material.
The case stories - being the bulk of this book - are not very inspiring (except perhaps the Dell Premier case). I cannot recommend you wasting your time on them. They were already of poor value when published in 2001.
The only real value of "B2B One-to-One" is provided in few charts as well as a small table on page 64 of the book. Curiously, the authors do not expand on the table's valuable content. If you have read some of the authors' previous publications, you'll already be familiar with their core concept of the IDIC-model (Identify-Differentiate-Interact-Customize):
Phase 1: IDENTIFY
What B2B firms typically do: Identify the most valuable customers by value. Know key contacts in the customer organization.
What B2B firms should do: Map all contacts in the customer organization. Map and remember every contact's influence on the buying process. Create a programme specifically targeting end-users.
Phase 2: DIFFERENTIATE
What B2B firms typically do: Treat different customers differently. Provide superb service levels to the most valuable customers. Differentiate reactively on customers' expressed needs.
What B2B firms should do: Rank customers by lifetime value and strategic value (most growable customers!). Develop strategies for unprofitable customers. Differentiate proactively the handling of different needs-based customer categories.
Phase 3: INTERACT
What B2B firms typically do: Keep interaction only via sales reps. Believe that sales reps will resist change towards sales automation or CRM initiatives because they see them as a threat. Restrict EDI to the largest customers.
What B2B firms should do: Remember interactions with the customer across all interaction points ... including the Internet. Compensate sales reps for reporting details on the customer interaction. Market the Internet as an alternative to EDI.
Phase 4: CUSTOMIZE
What B2B firms typically do: Customize products and services on request from the largest customers on an ad-hoc basis. Develop and execute account plans.
What B2B firms should do: Mass-customize products and services by modularizing the production, delivery, and services processes. Make a template for handling individual customers by using a needs-based segmentation on a routinely basis. Develop and execute specific customer strategies - including strategies for individual contacts within the customer organization.
For the insight provided by this table's content, I rate the book 2 stars.
I recommend that you buy Peppers & Rogers 2004-publication "MANAGING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS" instead. If you read my online review of that book, you'll see why.
Peppers & Rogers' "ONE TO ONE FIELDBOOK" (1999) is also highly recommended. It's a hands-on book with many checklists and inspiring tools for Monday morning. And it has a dual focus: Both B2C and B2B.
Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business
Create deeper relationships with business customers, 27 May 2002
As Geoffrey Moore(Chairman of the Chasm Group) says in the Foreword to "One to One B2B", this is a very powerful book which presents the reader with a set of tools for creating deeper relationships with customers.
200 of the 339 pages are concerned with B2B case studies; describing in turn CRM implementation at Dell (the PremierDell.com Extranet - try logging on!), Bentley Systems, Convergys, Novartis CP (Brazilian subsidiary) and LifeWay Christian Mission.
The net result is fascinating and instructive; exactly what you would expect from the leading consultants in CRM operating in the Corporate world.
In spite of the impressive results described in this book, however, it is clear that One to One B2B is still in the early stages of adoption. As Don Peppers has remarked recently CRM is halfway between ridicule and general acceptance.
Building on the groundbreaking studies in The One to One Future, Enterprise One to One and the marketers bible, The One to One Fieldbook was no minor challenge. The authors have accomplished this with verve and vitality, and are to be congratulated. It is a path many fellow marketers will aspire to follow.
However, if you are new to Peppers & Rogers, then tackle The One to One Fieldbook first.
David Morgans
Practical approach in theoretical framework, 22 Oct 2004
The case-based approach advocated by Dr Minett is new to me. B2B is widely under-represented in the litterature.
The approach is a synthesis of common-sense and current practices combined with Dr Minetts long practical experience woven into a theoretical framework.
One of the main values of the book is that it shows the B2B marketer the steps to maximising the effect of your investment in marketing.
Dr Minett even provides guidelines for aligning sales and marketing for further effect.
The internet-based methods advocated in the book, if adopted, would cut out a lot of the 'deadwood' from the current establishment in B2B marketing communications. Members of this feather-bedded establishment may feel their livelihood threatened by the radically cost-effective, global methods which the book proposes. Among the outstanding and very useful features of the book are the following;
An original, insightful and thoroughly worked out theoretical framework, which actually gives guidance as to what b2b marketers should DO!
There's very little marketing jargon, and where technical terms are used they're both thoroughly explained and useful for marketing practitioners.
The case studies show the approach in action. These are actual case studies which have been published multiple times in business, trade and technical journals all over the world. They illustrate the quality required in the material confirmed by the commercial judgements of several hundred professional editors in many different countries. Chapter 7 also contains a diagram with an explanation of the various purposes of case stories and the 10 case stories presented in this chapter are preceded or followed by a paragraph each (sometimes more) explaining their relevance to the text in which they are placed.
b2b marketing, 08 Jul 2004
This book does a great disservice to business to buisness marketers. The attempt at a theoretical framework could not by any standards be judged to be thorough or viable. The use of words like cognitive dissonance are pretentious to say the least, and a great turn off to any hard nosed commercial person looking for a reason to cut the marketing budget. The second part of the book is a commonsense description of what doe shappen. The case studies are dull and badly presented - not clear what the point of each one is. I shall be writing to the FT about this book as I am shocked that they put their name behind it.
