33 STATISTICS ABOUT SALES & MARKETING IN SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT COMPANIES The following statistics are based on the response of 86 CEO`s, Sales & Marketing executives working for 61 different scientific companies ...collected during the DFG spring meeting 2012 in Berlin The educational background of all respondents No Science Reading Note: This and all following statistics are based on 86 respondents. 86 Statistics answered by sales force only are based on 69 respondents. (Those statistics are specially market). Science The educational degree of all respondents University degree PhD Professional education The average size of scientific companies Number of companies up to 10 employees up to 20 up to 50 up to 100 up to 200 more than 200 Number of respondents Business with scientists tend to be more complex than business with industry customers Yes No No difference It depends * The definition of ‘complex’ was left to the respondents Industry versus science: The respondents serve ... mainly scientific markets mainly industrial markets more or less equally The average lead time of a sales cycle from first contact to sales Number of respondents less than 3 months 3 months to half a year half a year to 12 months 12 months to 18 months more than 18 months Average time spend to prepare a quote more than one hour between 30 min and one hour less than 15 min up to 30 min Number of respondents that make cold calls more than two per month No cold calls one or two per month (Sales force only) Number of sales cases won by cold acquisition versus customer`s initiative Initiative by customer Cold acquisition Number of respondents (Sales force only) The last sales case got lost because... Price was too high Specification was not sufficient Competition did a better job Customer didn`t trust I don`t know why Other reason The price of scientific equipment is an issue in... no issue almost all sales cases few sales cases half of all sales cases The technical specification of scientific instruments is an issue in... few sales cases no issue almost all sales cases half of all sales cases Emotional aspects play a role in selling scientific equipment Yes No Sometimes Number of respondents that have received an internal or external sales training Sales Training No Number of respondents that got trained on competition Sales Training on Competition No Number of respondents (Sales force only) How sales force respond* to an email inquiry from a potential customer Send a quote immediately Give a call to get more information Send an email to get more information Others *Sales force that sell capital-intensive equipment (e.g. > 50.000 EUR) did not respond differently from sales force that provide low-cost equipment . Number of companies that provide different brochures for scientific and industry customers Different brochures Same broschures Number of respondents Respondents about the strategic positioning of their companies. We are... Technology leader Quality leader Price leader How sure respondents are about the strategic position of the companies they work for I know the company's strategy I don't know the strategy but I have my own guess about I don`t know Number of respondents How often respondents represent their company on conferences and exhibitions (per year) not more than 2 times about 3-6 times up to 10 times more than 10 times How often respondents report their sales forecast to their boss Monthly Quarterly Yearly On request Never I`m the boss (Sales force only) Number of respondents that use CRM software Yes No Number of respondents How respondents keep track on leads and open sales cases I use Excel I use CRM I use my emails I use paper and post-its Its all in my brain Others A choice of CRM tools in use Act! SAGE AG-VIP SQL Axapta_ (MS Dynamics AX) Channel CTM Deleco Exact Genesis Goldmine Lexware MS_Dynamics Selfmade Outlook BCM SAP SLX Sugar Superoffice Wincard How respondents with access to CRM software use it for tracking leads and sales opportunities Refuse CRM Use CRM Business travel time up to half of the working time up to 30 percent less than 10 percent of the working time up to 15 percent Number of respondents that say the purchase decision of scientific customers depends on ... mostly technical aspects both technical and emotional aspects mostly emotional aspects Number of respondents that say the purchase decision of industrial customers depends on ... mostly technical aspects both technical and emotional aspects mostly emotional aspects Marketing for scientific products means... Marketing = Advertisment Somewhat more Number of respondents about the importance of scientific tools for their scientific customers Our product is the main tool for their scientifc work Our product is important but there are other important tools too Our product makes scientific life easier but it would also work without it The respondents about the importance of various information sources for potential customers The Top 5 The Flop 3 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. Test Measurements 2. Application Reports 3. Scientific Publications Recommendation Website Data sheets Personal contact Exhibition Raman Spectrometer Spectrometers Lithography UHV Systems Surface Analysis Equipment Vibration-Systems Laser Electron Ellipsometer Nanopositioning Anti- SPM Controller Vacuum components Effusion cells Optical Components Cryostats Evaporation Sources Cells This is what the respondents sell Effusion Thin Film Deposition Vacuum mechanics Diffractometer Metrology Sensors Wafer Handling Tools Temperatur Equipment Electronics Components Vacuum Pumps Laser Photonics Piezo components QCM SNOM AFM Optomechanics Mass Spectrometer Potentiostats Power supplies Nanoindenter Low Beam line Femtosecond Monochromator Components XRay Technology UHV Valves STM Plasma Process Technology ALD Number of respondents that intent to exhibit again at the DFG Spring meeting if hosted at the TU Berlin Exhibitors with booth in the main building likely yes likely no Exhibitors with booth in the adjacent building likely yes likely no www.b2science.de For scientific companies only