In many B2B markets, excessive competition is driving-down prices, and products are becoming commoditized. So companies have to use marketing in a more effective and structured way. However, most B2B companies do not understand what marketing is. They confuse it with marketing-communications and as a result they find it increasingly difficult to compete and be profitable. They think they can solve the problem by sending out more communications, but that often achieves nothing and wastes money.

This training course will show you how to apply marketing effectively in a B2B environment so that your company can establish itself as an added-value provider and can overcome price competition. It is specifically for B2B companies, and it shows best-practice with many real-life B2B examples.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants should be able to:

• Help your company to use marketing effectively.
• Know how to overcome price competition.
• Win customers and build better relationships.
• Increase your company’s credibility among stakeholders.
• Prioritize marketing actions and give clear direction.
• Avoid wasteful marketing and increase profit margins.

Duration:       5 Days

Who Should Attend

This training course is for senior managers, middle managers, marketing executives and anyone else who really wants to understand what marketing is and how to use it in B2B markets. Even if you have studied marketing at degree level, this course shows you how to apply it in practice in B2B markets specifically.

This training course is suitable for a range of professionals and will greatly benefit:

• Leaders who need to know that marketing is not just communications.
• Senior managers who must guide their company in the market.
• Managers from non-marketing disciplines who don’t understand marketing.
• Executives who want to know how marketing works specifically in B2B.
• Sales managers who need to win marketing support.
• People recently placed into a marketing role.

Any B2B company trying to overcome price-erosion or commoditization, will benefit by sending their executives on this course.

Course Content

Day One: What Marketing is and How to Apply it?

• How B2B marketing differs from consumer marketing
• From product and sales-focused to market-focused
• Key principles that underpin B2B marketing
• Twenty tips for successful B2B marketing
• Building relationships to win preference.
• Getting buy-in from colleagues.

 Day Two: You Need a Process and a Plan to Succeed in the Market

• Aligning marketing, business strategy and brand
• The marketing process and structure
• Understanding the market, customers, and competitors
• Identifying the real customer needs
• Identifying and prioritising the key success factors
• Constructing the B2B marketing plan

Day Three: Establishing Marketing Goals and How to Achieve Them

• Clarifying marketing objectives
• Developing a clear B2B marketing strategy
• Prioritising people to target and the purpose.
• Constructing an integrated B2B marketing mix
• Integrating the mix to deliver superior value.
• Getting others to contribute and support it.

 Day Four: How to Innovate and Manage Products and Solutions through the Lifecycle and Price them Correctly?

• Applying the product life-cycle concept
• Managing the B2B product portfolio
• New product development and screening
• Creating superior B2B value-propositions
• Proving value and overcoming competitors’ prices
• Using price and defining pricing strategy
• Understanding cost-plus, break-even and contribution pricing

 Day Five: Using Marketing Communications, Distributors and Service in the Marketing Mix

• Essential guidance on applying marketing communications.
• Combining communications tools and messages effectively
• Marketing to, and through, distributors
• How to offer service and charge for it
• Integrating the sales function with marketing
• Measuring marketing outcomes and applying control
• Creating and justifying the marketing budget

General Notes

• This course is delivered by our seasoned trainers who have vast experience as expert professionals in the respective fields of practice. The course is taught through a mix of practical activities, theory, group work and case studies.
• Training manuals and additional reference materials are provided to the participants.
• Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be issued with a certificate.