Latest research from McKinsey & Company shows that – as suspected – there is a marked apparent divergence between the core messages companies communicate about their brands and the characteristics their customers value most. They found that a number of the most important themes for customer perceptions of brand strength—including effective supply chain management and specialist market knowledge—were among those least mentioned by B2B suppliers. Honest and open dialogue, which customers considered most important, was one of the three themes not emphasized at all by the companies in their sample.

These companies would do well to follow the lead of Apple, arguably one of the most successful examples of marketing and always at the forefront of their own market by remaining close to their consumers. As an example of their market focus, one of their golden rules is “don’t sell products”. People buy what other people have. Focus on what people do with your product, not what it actually does.

We see a number of product-led B2B companies who do not pay enough attention to what customers actually want. One of the many definitions of marketing is “Ask the customers what they want and give it to them (hopefully at a profit!)”

Maybe a bit simplistic, but as the customer is responsible for your turnover …..