Winning with Customers: A Playbook for B2B

Chapter 9. Getting Started

In the previous chapters you have seen the "cool" and valuable outcomes that are possible—the measurable financial results that can be achieved using the CVC Management System to Win with Customers and set you apart from competitors. Now it is time to discuss how to make this a reality in your business. We know you have been waiting for this. Now that you know what to do (technically) and are excited about the possible outcomes, it is time to discuss how to get it done in your organization.

We have experienced many different approaches to getting started over our years of working for and with companies to develop an outside-in, customer-driven culture. There is the new CEO who walks into a situation where she or he quickly sees the team is too internally focused. The CEO sets out to drive change in a top-down-oriented fashion. There is the VP of Sales who year after year experiences her company not connecting with the customer, resulting in performance simply not up to her expectations. There is the VP of Marketing who does not feel his department is connected to the field in an organized manner and sets out to change the situation. There is the disaster where a company finds itself losing share year over year, culminating with a big customer loss, causing a broad swath of the management team to move into action. There is the VP of Product Development or R&D who consistently is beaten by competitors with innovations that were available for the taking if ...