An introduction to
The Business Scalability Matrix
For companies with hi gh-value, complex B2B sales environments
I n fle xi on - P oi n t S t ra t e gy P a rt n e rs L im it e d | www .in fle xion - p oin t .com | +4 4 (0) 118 975 0595
Introduction
We work with B2B companies to help them implement repeatable,
scalable and predictable sales and market ing processes. Our clients
include early stage companies who are striving to “Cross the Chasm”
from early adopters to mainstream markets, as well as more established
organisations who wish to refocus their sales and marketing activities
and revita lise their revenue and pro fit gro wth.
What’s
Holding
Your
Organisation
Back?
In both situations, we believe that the key to success lies in establishing
a highly scalable business model that can sustain accelerated growth.
Over t he years, a clear p attern of winning behaviours has emerged - a nd
we’d like to share ten factors that seem to have a consistent impact on a
B2B organ isat ion’ s ability to scale.
The factors - and our assessment process - take account of the
accumulated research by a number of widely respected organisations as
well as our own observations. We hope that they may help you to
identify some areas where your organisation has the potential to do
bett er...
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
1
Introducing the Business Scalability Matrix
The Inflexion-Point Business Scalability Matrix systematically evaluates 10 key factors on a 5-point scale, ranging from “unscalable”
to “highly scalable”. The 10 factors - summarised below - reflect our observations into the winning habits of highly successful B2B
sales and marketing organisations. We’ll explore each factor in more detail on subsequent pages.
Unscalable
Assessment
Hi ghly Scalable
1
2
3
4
5
1: Clarity of Market Focus
Reactive
Demographic
Firmographic
Focus on
Stakeholders
2: Repeatability of Solutions
Random
Standardised
Replicable
Provably
Better
Benefits
Focused
Distinctively
Different
Solution
Focused
Mostly
Inbound
Embedded
Process
Buyer-Aligned
Process
Enthusiastic
Adoption
Shared
Plans
Strategic
Contributor
Ideal
Customer
Highly
Repeatable
Truly
Unique
Outcome
Focused
Socially
Integrated
Agile
Process
Buyer
Centric
Revenue Cycle
Management
Fully
Integrated
Trusted
Partner
Scalability Factor
3: Market
Differenti ati on
4: Offering Focus
5: Marketing Foc us
6: Sales Process
7: Customer Focus
8: CRM Adoption
9: Sales - Mktg Integration
10: Customer Relationships
Undifferentiated
Feature
Focused
Mostly
Outbound
Random
Process
Sales
Centric
No
CRM
No
Alignment
Approved
Vendor
Common
Components
Somewhat
Better
Advantages
Focused
Experimenting
with Inbound
Informal
Process
Buyer-Aware
Milestones
Basic
CRM
Grudging
Cooperation
Preferred
Supplier
In Transition
Formal
Process
Buyer-Aware
Process
Widespread
CRM
Aligned
Solutions
Consultant
.
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
2
10 Key Factors
The ten factors in our Business Scalability Matrix span both external
and internal issues. The idea of the matrix has its foundations in the
pioneering work done on Capability and Maturity Models done by
Carnegie Mellon University several decades ago.
Focus
on
1
Clarity
of
2 Repeatability
3 Market
B2B
Of cours e, t here have been m any subs equ ent variations on t he origina l
theme. Our own Business Scalability Matrix is particularly focused on
the factors that affect the scalability of B2B companies that are
involved in hig h-v alue, com ple x sales envi ronments .
For each of the following sections, we’ll define the five relevant
maturity levels as well as highlighting some of the things we consider
4 Offering
Sales
The exercise is most effective when condu cted with a clear sense of
8
to date, rather than on your aspirations, and to back your assessment
of your current posit ion wit h t angible evi dence.
Let’s start by taking a look at the clarity of your market focus...
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
9 Sales
Focus
Process
7 Customer
CRM
Solutions
Focus
5 Marketing
6
of
Focus
Differentiation
when we conduct formal Business Scalability Reviews with our clients.
realism. We would encourage you to focus on what you have achieved
Market
Focus
Adoption
-
10 Customer
Marketing
Integration
Relationships
3
1: Clarity of Market Focus
CLARITY OF MARKE T FOCUS
UNSCALABL E
Clarity of Market Focus is one of the most important foundations for
1 : Re a c ti v e
building sc alab le bus iness es - and it’ s not hard to underst and why.
Yo u will s ell to a nyo n e: yo u r co mp an y has n ot d efin ed or
pr ior itised sp ecific tar get marke ts or focu sed marke ting
a tt en t io n u p o n t h em .
inordinate amount of money and resources chasing down deals that
2: Demographic
Y o u r c o mp an y’ s t ar g e t m ar k e t d e fi n it io n s ar e b as e d o n
the trad ition al demo graphic seg mentatio n factor s
(in du str y, size, location , etc.).
Y o ur co mp an y’ s t ar g e t mar k e t d e fi ni ti o ns c o ns is te n tl y g o
be yon d d emo graphics to r eflect str uctur al, env iro nmen tal
an d b e h av io ur a l c o n s id e r at io n s .
4 : F o cus o n S t a ke ho l de r s
You r target market defin itions also include detailed
pro files of the key stakeho lders who are likely to b e
i n vo l v ed i n t h e b u yi n g d e ci s io n p r o c e s s .
5 : I de a l C usto me r
Y o ur p r o ce s s act iv el y en co u r ag e s s al es p eo p le t o
dis qu alify pr os pe cts th at fail to meet enough of your
“id eal custo mer ” criter ia.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
will either never close, or are destined to be unprofitable.
Beyond
Demographics
Conventional demographics are no longer enough to segment today’s
complex markets. Vendors also have to identify the structural,
3: Firmographic
An
Organisations that are largely reactive in their market focus waste an
environment al and behavioural considerat ions that are so import ant
to qualifying business opportunities - and to determining the most
profitable sales and marketing strategy.
The most effective target market definitions build upon company
profiles to identify the key stakeholders in the typical decision making
process - and to anticipate their likely concerns and motivations.
Finally, the most scalable companies have the discipline to proactively
qualify out prospects who fail to satisfy enough of their identified
“ideal customer” characteristics - so they can find better ones.
Look at the list on the left. Where would you place your organisation?
S ca lab ility
M at rix
4
2: Repeatability of Solutions
REPE ATABILITY OF SOLUTIONS
It’s hard to build a scalable business unless you have the ability to
UNSCALABL E
deliver repeatable solutions. Hand-crafted, hard-won solutions that
1: Ra ndo m
are heavily customised to meet unique customer requirements might
seem key to winning those all-important early deals - but they rapidly
turn into a drain on the busines s and a brake on progres s.
Repeatable
Solutions,
Repeatable
2 : C o mmo n C o mp o ne nts
Sales
But this isn’t just about repeatable, clearly defined product or service
offerings . It also requires repeat able, s cal able and pre dicta ble s ales
and marketing processes. And it depends - as we observed when we
addressed the issue of clarity of market focus - on having a crystalclear view of what an “ideal customer” looks like.
one of the key characteristics of market leaders - and vital to both
cross ing t he chasm and winning m arket share.
same way, year after year? No - solution repeatability also involves
the ability to sense, react and adapt to changing market conditions.
Look at the list on the right. Where would you place your organisation?
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
3: Standar dised
You have established standardised product or service
offe rin gs that yo u are marke ting & s elling in a r easo nably
co n s i s te n t f as h i o n .
The major ity o f yo ur reven ues co me from clearly defin ed,
s tan d ar d is ed pr o du ct an d s er vice o ffe r in g s so ld i n a
r ep eatab le, co ns is ten t way.
5 : H ig hl y Re p ea ta b le
Does this mean that the whole organisation sells the same thing the
Int rodu ct i on
You have created a family o f co mmon co mponen ts fro m
which you bu ild so lutio ns , but sales still ofte n have
s o m e wh a t u n i q u e e l em e n ts t o th e m .
4: Replicable
There’s little doubt that sales, marketing and solution consistency is
An
Yo u r so lu ti on s ar e cr e ate d f ro m s cr atch t o a dd r e ss
un iqu e custo mer needs , with little stand ard isation . Ever y
sale seems hand-crafted.
M at rix
M o r e th an 90 % o f yo u r r e ve n ue s & p ro f its c om e fr o m
clearly def ined , stand ard ised product and service
offe rin gs sold in a con sis tent way.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
5
3: Market Differentiation
MARKET DIFFE RENTIATION
UNSCALABL E
In today’s markets, claiming to be better than your competitors is no
1 : Und i ff e r e nt ia t e d
basis for sustained differentiation - even if you believe you can prove
It is difficult for a p rosp ective cu sto mer to identify any
m e an i n g fu l d i f fe r e n ce b e t we e n yo u r co m p an y a n d y o ur
leadin g comp etitor s.
2 : S o m e wh a t B e t te r
You claim to be “b etter ” than you r comp etition but o ffer
fe w p r oo f po in ts t hat wo u ld b e acce pte d as valid b y an
independent observer.
3 : P r o v a b ly B e tte r
You claim to be “b etter ” than you r comp etition and o ffer
a n umb er o f pr oof points that are r egar ded as sig nificant
b y yo u r p ro s p e ct s .
You clearly articulate why yo u are dis tinctivel y d iffer ent
f r o m yo ur c o mp e ti to rs a n d e xp lai n h o w th at tr an s lat es
i nt o cl ear b e n ef it s f o r yo ur cu s to m er s .
You con sis tently positio n yours elf in a way that is un iqu e,
p r o vab le , hi gh ly r el ev an t to pr o sp e cts , an d har d f o r a
comp etitor to claim.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
t o
the
Bu sin ess
Develop
a
Distinctive
Point
of
View
You need to differentiate your company before you promote your
solution - and in today’s crowded communication channels, that
depends on your ability to develop a distinctive, provocative and
remarkable poi nt of view.
Today’s most successful companies are able to stand to out from the
clear vision of the future - and of the role they intend to play in
helping their customers get there.
We’ve seen time after time that organisations with a distinctive and
5 : T r ul y Uni que
Int rodu ct i on
the ante with their own claims.
crowd. They demonstrate a deep understanding of their markets and a
4: Distinctively Different
An
it. It’s simply too easy for competitors to copy your features and up
persuasive point of view are able to engage with customers and
prospects on an entirely different level to their product-obsessed
competitors .
Look at the list on the left. Where would you place your organisation?
S ca lab ility
M at rix
6
4: Offering Focus
OFFERING FOCUS
We’ve just established the importance of having a a distinctive point
UNSCALABL E
of view - one that resonates with your target audience and enables
1 : F e a t ur e F o cuse d
your organisation to stand out from the crowd. There are similarly
Yo u m ar k et you r pr od u ct o r se r vi ce o f fe r in g in t e rm s th at
l ar g e ly r e vo l ve a r o un d t h e f eat ur e s an d /or spe ci fi c at io n s
of y o u r “ s o l u t i on ” .
important considerations when it comes to s elling and marketing your
products or services.
Your
Customers
Care
About
2 : A d v a nta g e s F o c use d
Outcomes
Your cust omers don’t care about your features , advantages or
benefits. Or if they do, they see them as only a means to an end. What
they really care about are the outcomes you can help them achieve.
So comparing yourselves only against your obvious competitors does
little or nothing to address their issues. You need to broaden your
perspective. How does your offering compare to other options - like
“do it yourself” or today’s most powerful competitor, “do nothing”?
Scalable companies characterise what they do in terms of their ability
to enable their customers to achieve their desired outcomes. Today’s
winners focus on the ways in which they can help their prospects to
eliminate risk and increase the certainty of outcomes.
Look at the list on the right. Where would you place your organisation?
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
Yo u m ar k et you r pr od u ct o r se r vi ce o f fe r in g in t e rm s th at
l ar g e ly r ev o lv e ar o un d t he ad van tag e s o f yo ur “ s o lu ti on ”
co m par e d t o co m pe ti to r s .
3 : B e n e fi ts F o c use d
Y o u m ar k e t you r p r od u ct o r s e r vi ce o ff er i ng wi th a
p r i mar y f o cu s o n t h e s u p er i o r b en e fi ts you r “s o l u ti o n ”
d e li ve r s co m par e d t o co mp e ti to r s .
4: S o luti o n Fo cuse d
Y o u m ar k e t you r p r od u ct o r s e r vi ce o ff er i ng wi th a
p r i m ar y f o cu s o n t h e b u s i n es s i s su e s a n d p rob l e ms y o u r
s o l u ti o n can ad dr e s s .
5: Outcome Fo cused
Y o u m ar k e t you r p r od u ct o r s e r vi ce o ff er i ng wi th a
p r i mar y f o cu s o n t h e o u t co m es yo u r cu s to m er s can
expect to achieve fr om implementin g it.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
7
5: Marketing Focus
MARKETING FOCUS
UNSCALABL E
Your pros pects have come to hate conven tional, int errupt- driven
1: Mo stly Outbo und
outbound marketing - or learned to ignore it. You’ve only got to look
T he m aj or ity o f yo ur m ar k eti ng bud g et is fo cu s ed o n
trad ition al o utb ou nd, in ter rupt driven activities (mailin g,
adver ts, etc.).
at the number of attempts it now takes to connect when cold-calling,
2: Expe r ime nting wi th Inbo u nd
You r trad ition al outb ound marke ting activitie s are
complemen ted by effective SEO and oth er inbound
techniques.
3 : I n T r a nsi ti o n
T h e r e so u r ce a pp l ie d t o yo u r tr a di ti o n al o u t bo u n d
marke ting activities is balanced with inve stmen ts in
i n b o u nd m ar k e t in g .
T h e maj o r it y o f yo ur m ar k e ti ng ef fo r t s h av e swi tch e d to
su ccessfu lly cr eating a s tre am o f well-q ualifie d inb ound
enq uir ies.
In add ition to su ccessfu lly maste rin g inb ound mar ketin g,
you r entir e organ isation is fully lever aging busine ss
so cial me dia su ch as Lin ked In.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
t o
the
Bu sin ess
From
Outbound
to
Inbound
-
and
Beyond
The nature of buying has changed. Your prospects are better informed
than ever before, and bett er equipped t o s earch for solut ions. They
hate being sold to, but are keen to learn.
Our observations of highly scalable companies suggest that they have
traditional outbound marketing and have been amongst the first to
refocus their efforts on inbound marketing activities.
They are deve loping a reputation for thou ght leadership, ha ve become
5 : S o c i a ll y I nte g r a te d
Int rodu ct i on
campaig ns .
typically done a better job of mastering t his switch away from
4: Mo stly Inbo und
An
or the steeply declining response rates for email or direct marketing
the obvious candidates to turn to when their prospects start their
search for s olutions , and are m ak ing incre asingly e ffe ctive us e of
busines s social m edia and in par ticul ar L i nkedIn.
Look at the list on the left. Where would you place your organisation?
S ca lab ility
M at rix
8
6: Sales Process
SALES PROCESS
One of the biggest differences between today’s most scalable B2B
sales organisations and their poorly-performing competitors lies in
their consistent company-wide adoption of agile, dynamic sales
process es that are continuously refine d t o reflect new le arning and
changing market conditions .
From
Random
to
Agile
across sales organisations that have a documented sales process but
haven’t taken the steps to systematically monitor or enforce it.
But there’s more to it than that - if it is to be truly effective, your
sales process needs to be fully integrated with the CRM system such
that it becomes a natural part of every sales person’s daily routine.
We used to regard having an embedded sales process as the peak of
scalability. But recently we’ve observed a new generation of
embedded their processes into CRM systems but have developed a
truly agile and dynamic approach to sales process management.
Look at the list on the right. Where would you place your organisation?
t o
the
T he r e has b ee n n o s er io u s atte mp t to imp le me nt a
s t an d ar d i s ed s al es p r o ce s s . S al es p e o p le d o th e ir o w n
th in g , th eir o wn way.
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
Yo u r co mp an y has d e fin ed a s ale s p r o ce ss and e xp ects
s al es p e o p le to us e it, b u t d o e s n o t m on ito r o r en fo r ce
i ts ad o p ti o n.
3: Fo r ma l Proc e ss
Yo u r co mp an y e nfo r ce s th e us e o f a de fin ed sale s p r oce ss
and syste matically measu re s and monitor s its adop tion b y
sales peo ple.
4 : E mb e d de d P r o c e ss
Your sales process is enfor ced, measured and deeply
i nte g rate d i nto y o ur C RM s y ste m an d d ay to day
re por ting activities.
5: A gi le Proc e ss
outstandingly effective sales organisations that have not only
Int rodu ct i on
1 : Ra nd o m P r o ce ss
2 : I nf o r ma l P r o ce ss
Simply defining a “sales process” isn’t enough. We frequently come
An
UNSCALABL E
M at rix
Yo u hav e an ag ile and d yn amic sal es and marke tin g
p r o ce ss t hat is co n tin u ous ly r efin ed to r e fle ct n ew
l e ar n i n g a n d c h an g i ng m ar k e t c on d i ti o n s .
HIGHLY SCALABLE
9
7: Customer Focus
CUSTOME R FOCUS
UNSCALABL E
Today’s top-performin g s ales organisat io ns go beyond managing t he
sales process as a series of sales activities: the most effective
1 : S a l e s C e ntr i c
Your sales process - assuming you have one - revolves
ar o u nd de fin in g th e actio n s yo u e xp ect yo u r s ale s p eo p le
to un dertake .
2 : B uy e r - A wa re M il e sto ne s
The milestones that control progres s between the key
s tag e s i n yo ur s al es p r o ce s s ar e b a sed o n o b se r vab le
e vi d en ce o f bu ye r b eh av io u r .
3 : B uy e r - A wa re P ro c e ss
Each s tag e in t he pr o ce ss i s car e fu lly alig n ed with t he
e q u i va le n t p h a s e i n y ou r p r o s p e ct ’ s b u yi n g de ci s io n
p r o c es s .
Your pro cess anticipates and addresses the issues,
co n ce r ns a nd mo ti vati on s o f e ach ke y stak eho ld e r at e ach
s tag e o f t he ir b u yi ng d e ci si o n pr o ce s s.
You r “sales process ” is explicitly desig ned to facil itate
and accelerate each phase in your prosp ect’s buying
decision process.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
t o
the
Bu sin ess
typical bu ying de cisio n journe y.
Where’s
the
Evidence?
One of the first things we look for when assessing the strength of
customer focus is the extent to which milestones are based on
observable evidence of buyer activity or intent, rather than on
reported sales activity.
concerns and motivations at each stage in their buying decision
journey.
But the most effective organisations are those that embrace what
5 : B uy e r C e ntr i c
Int rodu ct i on
deep understanding of the key phases in their target prospect’s
We also look for a clear understanding of the prospect’s likely
4 : B uy e r A l i gne d P ro c e ss
An
processes seem to be those that are explicitly designed to reflect a
would until recently have been thought by many to be an alien
mindset: rather than driving the sales process, they think instead
about “what c an we do to facilitate the prospect’s buying process?”
Look at the list on the left. Where would you place your organisation?
S ca lab ility
M at rix
10
8: CRM Adoption
CRM ADOPTION
There are still some organisations that have failed to implement a
consistent company-wide CRM system. There are many more that have
done so, and yet remain dissatisfied with the return they are getting
from their investment. The quality of CRM implementation is proving
to be another factor that separates scalable companies from the rest.
Administration
-
or
Sales
Enablement?
We’re particularly con cerned about t he num ber of organisations that
have implemented an ‘out of the box” CRM solution without making
any serious attempt to change the sales stages or probabilities to
reflect their own p articular circum st ances.
In too many organisations, the mindset also just seems to be wrong:
the CRM system is regarded by sales people as an administrative
burden, rather than a sales enablement tool. This appears to be a
critical barrier to enthusiastic adoption.
between the sales and marketing processes - no CRM system can hope
to deliver on its potential.
Look at the list on the right. Where would you place your organisation?
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
1: No CRM
T he r e may b e i so late d is lan d s o f C RM ad o p tio n , bu t yo u
have no t yet implemented a cons istent company-wide
CRM so lution.
2 : B a si c C RM
Yo u h av e a co mp an y- wid e C RM s ys te m b u t are s till u sin g
many o f th e d efaults the system came with in areas like
sales stage defin ition.
3: Wide spre ad CRM
Yo u r C RM s ys te m h as b ee n fu lly cu s to mis ed to m ee t yo ur
n e e d s a n d i s i n w id e s p r e ad act iv e u s e t h r ou gh o u t t h e
s al es o r g an is at io n .
4; Ent husia stic A do pti o n
You r CRM syste m is wid ely an d enth us iastically emb raced
b y all s ale s an d mar k etin g p eo p le , wh o se e it as a tr u e
sales enablemen t system.
5 : Re v e nue C y cl e M a na ge me nt
Yet without enthusiastic adoption - and w ithout tight integration
An
UNSCALABL E
S ca lab ility
M at rix
You r CRM syste m fu lly r eflects you r en tire “sales pr oces s”
and br ings all mark eting and sales activities t og ethe r into
one integrated revenue cycle.
HIGHLY SCALABLE
11
SALES-MARKETING INTEGRATION
UNSCALABL E
“Improving Sales and Market ing Alig nment ” has been a high priority
goal for CEOs over many years. Yet the continued failure to align and
1: No A li gnme nt
Ther e is fru strating ly little e viden ce o f align ment
b e twe en y o u r s al es a n d m ar k e ti ng o p er at io n s o r th e ir
res pective activities.
2 : G r ud gi ng C o op e r a ti o n
Sal es a nd m ar k eti ng a r e cap ab le o f wo r k ing to g e th e r o n
an ad-h oc basis b ut there is no fo rmal basis for alignin g
ob jectives and activities.
3: Aligned
T he r e is a s tr o ng s en s e o f r e sp e ct an d c ol labo r ati on
between sales and marketing with clos ely aligne d
ob jectives and activities.
Sale s an d m ar k etin g s h ar e a co mmo n p lan n ing p ro ce ss
an d a co mb in ed s ale s an d mar k etin g p lan s at b o th th e
str ateg ic and tacti cal lev el .
5 : F ul l y Inte g r a te d
You r sales and marke ting activit ies are fully aligne d and
integr ated, with s hared ob jectives, g oals, metrics and
co m p e n s at io n p l an s .
HIGHLY SCALABLE
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
integrate sales and marketing activities remains one of the most
common factors preventing organisations from building truly scalable
businesses.
Are
you
Aligned
-
or
Falling
Behind?
If you doubt that the effort is worth it, consider some of the latest
research conduct ed by Sir iusDecisions : th ey found that hi ghly aligned
and well-integrated B2B organisations enjoyed a 23.7% higher 3- year
averag e revenue growth - and a 27.8% hi gher average profit growth.
The foundation for sales and marketing alignment and integration lies
4 : S ha r e d P l a ns
An
9: Sales- Marketing Integration
in mutual respect and shared goals. But a growing number of the top
performing com panies go further than t hat in es tablishing an
environment that promot es winning beha viours.
They have taken pains to ensure that personal and departmental
objectives, metrics, and - this is key to maximising performance compensat ion plans are des igne d t o reward collabo ration.
Look at the list on the left. Where would you place your organisation?
S ca lab ility
M at rix
12
10: Customer Relationships
CUSTOME R RELATIONSHIPS
What do the majority of your customers think of you? As just another
“approve d vendor” , or as a t ruly “trus ted partner”? C SO Insight s has
calculated that these factors can make as much as a 20% difference to
key performance metrics including the number of sales people making
quota, sales win rates, and overall company plan attainment.
Trust
+
Agility
The figures come from their latest annual survey of key sales trends,
organisat ions acro ss a range of indus tries . The combinat ion o f a gile
dynamic sales processes (factor 6) and “Trusted Partner” relationships
appears to be particul arly power ful in driv ing s uperior performa nce.
We’ve observed that “Approved V endor” a nd “Trust ed P artner”
statuses are associated with different mindsets - the first thinks in
terms of selling their products while the latter thinks about solving
their customer’s problems.
Executive le vel rel ations hips, joint plann in g s ess ions and s hared
risk/reward models are all characteristic of trusted partnerships.
Look at the list on the right. Where would you place your organisation?
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
1: Appr ov ed Vendor
T he m aj or ity o f yo ur c u sto mer s r e g ar d yo u a s a
legitimate so lutio n pr ovid er, bu t see little meanin gfu l
difference b etween you and your competitor s.
2 : P r e f e r re d S u pp l ier
B as ed o n yo u r r e pu tatio n an d th eir pas t de alin g s with
yo u , m o st cu s to m er s r eg ar d yo u as t h e p r e fe rr e d v e nd o r
w it h w h o m t o d o b u s in e s s wi th i n y o u r m ar k e t s p a ce .
3: S o luti o ns Co nsul ta nt
covering more than 2,000 B2B-focused sales and marketing
An
UNSCALABL E
M at rix
M o s t c u st o mer s r e g ar d yo u r or g an i sat io n as n o t j u st
an o th e r ve nd o r - mo r e a val ue d r e so ur ce wh o can h e lp
th e m g e t th e mo s t ou t o f yo u r p ro d u cts o r s er v ice s.
4: S tra teg ic Co ntri buto r
R at he r th an j us t a co nsu l tan t o n th e u se o f you r o ff er in gs ,
cu s tom er s r eg ard yo u as a so ur ce of str ate g ic i nsi gh t in to
th e br oader-b ased challenges they are f acing.
5 : T r u ste d P a r tne r
Y o u ar e se e n as a lo n g - ter m p a r tn er who s e co n t r ib u ti o n s
- i n th e fo r m o f o ffe r ing s , in s igh ts an d p ro ce ss es - ar e
r e gar d ed as v ital to y o ur cu s to me r’ s l on g te rm s ucce ss .
HIGHLY SCALABLE
13
Applying the Matrix
We recommend that you share the matrix with your leadership team
and engage in an a ctive dis cuss ion about where you beli eve your
organisation cu rrently st ands.
We’ve already highlighted the importance of focusing on what you
have actually achieved to date - rather than on your aspirations when ass ess ing your performanc e agains t each factor.
Insisting on evidence is fundamental to making accurate judgements
about your current position on each axis. Without this, it can be all
too easy arrive at an over-positive assessment.
While that may offer some temporary satisfaction, it doesn’t really
help focus attention on making the positive changes that could
accelerate revenue, profit and market s hare growth.
There’s a st rong argument for involving a n independent facil itator. It
can help draw out the contributions from all involved, promote
healthy deb ate, k eep t he group honest , and ens ure t he neces sary
rigour is applied to the assessment.
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
14
Perhaps We Could Help?
If you’re a UK-based B2 B organisation, we can facilit ate your
leadership team’s review of the business scalability matrix, help you
to achieve a consens us regarding your cur rent score on each factor on
the basis of evidence, and stimulate a discussion about the other
factors that affect your ability to build a truly scalable business.
Our clients tell us that they find these facilitated on-site sessions
highly productive - enabling them to quickly grasp the subtleties of
the model and dramatically accelerating the completion of the
assessment and their identification of key priorities for action.
To find out more, please email us at info @inflex ion-po int.com , call us
on +44 (0) 118 975 0595 or complete the contact form on our website
at www.in flex ion-po int .com /contact .
We’ll be happy to go through the costs and options available, share
our experiences of working with other similar organisations, and to
explain what outcomes you can expect to achieve from the exercise.
We’ve shared t he evidence from Sirius Decis ions, CSO Insights and
others regarding the power of taking a focused approach to building
scalable busines ses . We hope we might help you ach ieve t he s ame.
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
15
About Inflexion-Point
Founded by Bob Apollo, a former technology company executive who
has helped build scalable businesses from start-ups to established
market leaders, Inflexion-Point is one of the UK’s leading B2B sales
and marketing performance improvement specialists.
Our research-b ased, eviden ce-driven appr oach is enabling a grow ing
number of clients to shorten sales cycles, increase sales win rates and
acce lerate revenu e growth.
We help them est ablish repeatable, sca lable and predi ctable s ales and
marketing processes that reflect the latest best practices as well as a
superior underst anding o f who t heir bes t cust omers and prospect s
are, and how and why they choose to buy.
As a result, we’re equipping promising early stage companies to
“Cross the Chasm” that separates early adopters from mainstream
markets, and enabling established organisations to refocus their sales
and marketing acti vities and to revitalise their revenue growth.
You can learn more at our website www.inflexion -point. com or by
calling us on +44 (0) 118 975 0595.
We encourage you to subscribe to our blog at www.in flexio npoint.com/ blog, and to follow Bob on Twitter http://twitter.com/bobapollo
or LinkedIn htt p://uk.linkedin .com/in/bob apollo.
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
16
www.inflexion-point.com
An
Int rodu ct i on
t o
the
Bu sin ess
S ca lab ility
M at rix
17