• Exercise a high level of skill in identifying the right people to Every company is looking today for an edge or advantage
contact. that will open the doors to new business and serve as a
• Be fully engaged and capable of carrying out “due diligence” in protection against erosion of market share. Some are
learning about each customer’s personal and business concerns focused on renewed attempts to differentiate a product
and issues. offering, some are talking about “building the brand,”
while others struggle to price-cut their way to a better
ThE VALuE of “BIg R” RELATIoNShIPS revenue stream and higher profitability. These strategies
As important as little r relationships are, they can be vulnerable to can’t work for every company—only one can truly be the
promotions, re-organizations, and downsizing, especially during lowest-cost provider in its category, and few can achieve
tough economic times like these, when customers are making sustainable differentiation.
changes in policies, structure, how decisions are made, and budget
allocations. An even more powerful and compelling relationship is On the other hand, strong and enduring relationships are
the one that exists at the level of business-to-business—a different not dependent on product features others can duplicate
type of bond we can call “Big R.” A Big R relationship transcends or price cuts that can actually hurt the seller’s bottom
ties with individuals. Big R connections are based on business line. Rather, both little r and Big R relationships offer a
benefits that are highly valued because they are aligned with the unique competitive advantage by delivering real business
customer’s corporate business strategy, goals, and critical success value deriving from the relationship itself rather than
factors. from a product or a price. The ability of a sales team to
leverage interpersonal connections and corporate business
For example, a company that provides its customers with complex alignment becomes the best and most reliable resource for
high-tech solutions may be very concerned about the R&D direction maintaining current market share and driving growth, even
and technical capabilities of the supplier of a critical component of in an unpredictable and chaotic economic environment.
their offering. Because Big R buyers have a long time horizon and
As Executive Vice President of Wilson Learning Corporation,
higher risks, they want to understand the supplier’s marketing and
Ed Emde drives Wilson Learning sales, marketing, and service
product strategy, and they depend on the supplier’s stability and
strategy in the Americas. Emde’s experience includes prior
executive and management positions with several of the leading
predictability. While still interested in inducements such as price and
training and organizational development companies in the
industry. In his 20-plus years of experience, he has consulted with
delivery options, companies in Big R relationships are “buying a
senior executives in major national and global organizations in
company,” not just a product.
linking human resource and organizational development initiatives
to strategic imperatives and business outcomes. Instrumental
in transforming organizations’ ability to leverage their human
performance assets to advance their competitiveness, he is
Though not every customer has the potential for developing a Big committed to creating powerful new approaches to ensure that
R relationship, your sales team needs to know how to identify these
retention, application, and behavior improvements are achieved
consistently and for an extended period of time.
highly valuable customers, assess their potential, and position and
To learn more about the concepts shared within this article
and how Wilson Learning can assist you in addressing these
establish the Big R relationship. This requires business acumen and issues, contact Wilson Learning at 1.800.328.7937 or visit www.
wilsonlearning.com.
gathering both internal and external information. Specifically, they
must develop the capabilities needed to:
• fully understand the customer’s solutions.
• Analyze the customer’s marketplace and business strategy.
• gain a clear understanding of the customer’s business processes.
• Verify and articulate the customer’s long-term goals and the
priorities driving decision making from the top of the organization.
The next step is to know how to create alignment between the
way these select customers are doing business and the way your
company does business with them. Once this alignment is solidly in
place, it will take much more than the offer of a 10% discount or a
better financing deal to break a Big R connection.
ThE BoTToM LINE
15 marketingtimes
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15