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Imagine that you lived in a city made of steel and woke up one morning to discover the entire city had been turned to glass. Everything that had been opaque would be transparent, everything sturdy would be fragile. One false move, even the slightest slip and--boom!--everything around you could shatter.

Nowhere does this frightening image seem more real than in the realm of business-to-business commerce, where the Internet is recasting and remodeling nearly every existing relationship.

Although consumer marketers may have been first to launch Web-based, customer-centric initiatives, it is the business-to-business companies that have the most to gain.

They also have the most to lose by doggedly sticking with out-dated traditional market penetration strategies. In One to One B2B, marketing gurus Don Peppers and Martha Rogers argue persuasively that in the broad arena of business-to-business commerce, organizations will rise or fall on the basis of their abilities to cultivate one-to-one relationships with their customers.

In a series of richly detailed case studies, the authors paint vivid portraits of B2B organizations wrestling with front-burner issues such as channel complexity, customer valuation, account development, sales force automation, knowledge-based selling, and new modes of compensation.

And they squarely tackle the question of how much technology is too much, arguing that one shouldn't ask "How can you use technology to automate a relationship?" but ,rather, "How can you use technology to strengthen a relationship and make it more valuable over time?"

In One to One B2B, readers will discover the critical role a "learning relationship" plays in developing new and existing customers to their fullest potential, as well as strategies designed specifically to unlock higher levels of profitability, ensure client loyalty, and fight margin erosion in the face of intense global competition.

The result is an indispensable handbook on how to create and develop business-to-business sales and marketing techniques successfully in the bump and grind of the real world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2183805 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-22
• Released on: 2001-05-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Using five detailed case studies, the authors of the bestselling One to One series examine the challenges and opportunities posed by the technological advances of today's "real" economy (an amalgamation of the new and old economies) for companies that sell goods or services to other businesses (B2Bs). Unlike B2Cs, which may serve millions of consumers, B2Bs often have a few large customers who make infrequent purchases of high-ticket services or items. B2Bs that are able to deepen their customer relationships (e.g., getting beyond the purchasing agents to understand the various customers within the customer organization, "helping clients manage themselves," "basing the sales process on educating and training customers") have the potential to become irreplaceable. Customers may even be willing to pay more over time for the services of a B2B that truly understands and can meet their specific needs. It's unfortunate that Dell is the only household name among the companies here; the impact of the other case studies may be diminished because readers aren't familiar with them or their products (i.e., Lifeway Church Resources and Convergys, the world's largest billing and management company). Although Peppers and Rogers's thesis may sound simple, theirs is not a primer for fledgling Internet companies. Indeed, the profiles and the authors' approach to problem solving are so analytical and comprehensive that all but the most experienced B2B managers and executives may find the material daunting. Still, there is a great deal of practical value here for those willing to invest the time. Agent, Rafe Sagalyn. (On-sale: May 15)

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
The authors, partners in a management consulting and training firm, offer a set of tools for creating deeper and more profitable relationships with customers for B2B (business to business) enterprises. Using case studies that examine the customer relationship management efforts of five leading B2B organizations, including Dell Computer, a division of Novartis, and Bentley Systems, which sells its CAD-CAM software applications, they explore such issues as structure, channel conflict, managing multiple product lines, hiring and training, and sales attitudes and behavior. They counsel that in the one-to-one future, B2B organizations must do a lot more than just sell; they must also build relationships by concentrating on a few important tasks, such as account development, knowledge-based or consultative selling, and embracing information technology to help customers with long-term problem solving. The Internet's impact on business operations in the twenty-first century is certain to radically transform corporate functions, and this book is a thoughtful analysis of the current trends. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Critical Acclaim For Don Peppers And Martha Rogers:

One To One B2B

"Information technology is changing the way businesses manage sales forces and customers. Willy Loman now carries a laptop and links to some very expensive data systems. As firms incur these expenditures, they need a guiding philosophy. This book lays out, clearly and passionately, a vision for B2B customer relationship management systems."
--Jon Deighton, The Harold M. Brierly Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School.

The One To One Fieldbook

"If your company is launching a customer-focused strategy, give this book to all of your transition players; it sets the agenda."
--Fortune

Enterprise One To One
"Five Stars!"
--The Wall Street Journal

"First to map the uncharted new world of interactive business. Use it to unlock the immense potential value of your customers."
--Scott Cook, chairman of the board, Intuit

"Destined to become the business field guide to the twenty-first century."
--Jim Kouzes, chairman and CEO, TPG (Tom Peters Group) Learning Systems, and co-author of The Leadership Challenge

The One To One Future

"Book of the year."
--Tom Peters

"Unusual insight into how marketers can serve each other and every consumer."
--Regis McKenna, author, consultant, Regis McKenna, Inc.

"Peters was wrong. This is not the book of the year. It's not even the book of the decade. It's one of the two or three most important business books ever written."
--George Gendron, INC. magazine