Foreword ix
Preface xiii
Part 1. Understanding the Fundamentals of Customer Orientation in B2B Services 1
Introduction to Part 1 3
Chapter 1. Customer Orientation 5
1.1. Outlines and challenges of customer orientation 5
1.1.1. Customer orientation framework 5
1.1.2. Benefits of customer orientation 6
1.1.3. Implementing customer orientation 8
1.2. Marketing as the source of customer orientation 12
1.2.1. Marketing as a corporate culture 13
1.2.2. Strategic marketing 15
1.2.3. Operational marketing 16
1.3. The managerâs customer orientation in response to marketing issues 18
1.3.1. Restricted marketing 18
1.3.2. Marketing exposure to technological challenges 20
Chapter 2. Reality and Challenges of Service 23
2.1. Economy and service: from data to discourse 23
2.1.1. The economic weight of service 23
2.1.2. Discourses on service 26
2.2. Defining the service 29
2.2.1. The organizational angle: the concept of servuction 29
2.2.2. The market angle: a process and an outcome 32
2.3. Characteristics of the service 35
2.3.1. Intangibility 35
2.3.2. Simultaneity 36
2.3.3. Heterogeneity 37
2.3.4. Perishability 38
Chapter 3. Markers of B2B 41
3.1. Reality of the market 41
3.1.1. Market option 41
3.1.2. Derived demand 45
3.2. The relational issue 49
3.2.1. Framework of the clientâ"provider relationship 49
3.2.2. Relational excellence 51
Part 2. Knowing the Customer 57
Introduction to Part 2 59
Chapter 4. Modeling the Industrial Sector 61
4.1. Direct market 61
4.1.1. Knowing oneâs market in its entirety 61
4.1.2. Segmentation 64
4.1.3. Targeting 67
4.2. Indirect actors 68
4.2.1. Identifying the actors 69
4.2.2. Managersâ responsibility towards indirect actors 71
Chapter 5. Understanding the Purchase 79
5.1. Buying center concept 79
5.1.1. Composition of the buying center 79
5.1.2. The buyer 82
5.2. Buying process 87
5.2.1. The launch 88
5.2.2. Call for tenders 91
5.2.3. From short list to contract 93
Chapter 6. Identifying Service Targets 97
6.1. Different types of targets 97
6.1.1. Targets within the direct client organization 97
6.1.2. Targets in the sector 101
6.2. Target satisfaction challenge 103
6.2.1. The notion of satisfaction 103
6.2.2. Measuring satisfaction 107
Part 3. Making the Most of the Offer 111
Introduction to Part 3 113
Chapter 7. Acting Against the Risk of Commoditization 115
7.1. Understanding the phenomenon of the offer commoditization 115
7.1.1. Characteristics of a commoditized market 115
7.1.2. Explanatory factors 116
7.1.3. The commoditization trap 119
7.2. Countering the commoditization of the offer 123
7.2.1. Strategies for presenting the offer 123
7.2.2. Strategies for enriching the offer 131
Chapter 8. Formalizing Your Offer 135
8.1. Positioning the offer 135
8.1.1. The notion of positioning 135
8.1.2. The manager and positioning 137
8.2. Design of the service offer 139
8.2.1. Structure of the service offer 139
8.2.2. Service innovation 142
8.3. Plasticity of the service offer 147
8.3.1. Levels of plasticity 147
8.3.2. Presentation of the service offer 150
Chapter 9. Taking Care of One Commercial Action 153
9.1. Commercial proposal 153
9.1.1. Documents and materials 153
9.1.2. Oral presentation 155
9.2. Commercial negotiation 158
9.2.1. Preparing for the negotiation 158
9.2.2. Negotiating 160
Part 4. Delivering the Service 165
Introduction to Part 4 167
Chapter 10. Unlocking Human Potential 169
10.1. Associating the client 169
10.1.1. Principles of client participation in the service 169
10.1.2. A more complex reality in B2B 171
10.1.3. The manager orchestrates the clientâs participation 173
10.2. Mobilizing the team 179
10.2.1. A team in a service situation 179
10.2.2. An expanded team 184
10.2.3. Customer-oriented leadership 186
Chapter 11. Managing Service Operations 189
11.1. Operational efficiency 189
11.1.1. Operational effectiveness framework 189
11.1.2. Specificities of operational efficiency in services 192
11.2. Managerâs responsibility for customer-oriented operations 193
11.2.1. Operations and quality of service 193
11.2.2. Operations and service experience 195
11.2.3. Operations and profitability 197
Chapter 12. Marketing the Tangibles 201
12.1. Tangible elements of the service 201
12.1.1. Nature of tangible elements 201
12.1.2. Dual function of tangible elements 203
12.2. Challenges of tangibles 206
12.2.1. The human being in a physical environment 206
12.2.2. Tangible element of the service brand 207
Conclusion 211
References 215
Index 227
