A leading bulk carrierCreating clear customer-centric differentiators

The project

With more competitors entering the market, the risk of commoditisation moved closer. The company, a leading bulk carrier, decided to focus on what creates value for the customer to provide clarity on differentiators that set the company apart from competitors.

The project developed a customer-centric platform, enabling an understanding of the customer’s pains and gains. The process included customer journey mapping, identification of key touchpoints, ideation on new value creating services and segmented value propositions along the customer journey – all with the purpose of supporting value-based selling.

All initiatives were co-created with management, marketing, sales, business development and HR to ensure that their learning was owned by the organisation.

The impact

The project helped the sales and marketing organisation change their conversations with customers, going from price negotiations to value-based selling based on the customer’s needs and value drivers.

The process changed the mindset of the sales reps as they realised the true value creation offered by the company, which stimulated their sales effort. Now they were not just selling but also helping customers relieve their pains. In addition, marketing received valuable input for a future communication strategy supporting a genuine customer-centric approach.

By experiencing that the company truly listened and cared, customers acknowledged the company’s approach as “one of a kind” in the market, resulting in more contracts signed and an increase in customer loyalty.