statedrecovery教程

AdvancedElectronicsPracticeApost–COVID-19commercial-recoverystrategyforB2BcompaniesArecentsurveyprovidesinsightsaboutthestrategiesthatcanhelpB2BcompaniesrecoverquicklyfromtheCOVID-19crisis.
July2020JorgGreuel/GettyImagesbyMintiRay,StefanoRedaelli,DamianRudich,andAndrewJ.
WongLeadersofB2Bcompaniesthatprimarilyservecustomersinsectorssuchasautomotive,energy,mining,andtelecommunicationsaretryingtomitigateCOVID-19'seconomicfalloutandhumantollbyensuringworkplacesafety,increasingliquidity,andkeepingsupplychainsmoving.
Thepressureshavebeensointensethatfewarelookingaheadtothereturntowork,whenproductionlineswillrampuptofullcapacity.
Thoseforward-thinkingexecutiveswhodocontemplatetherecoverymayhavedifficultycreatingasolidplan,becauseCOVID-19hasintroducedunprecedentedcomplexityintotheiroperations.
OurglobalB2BDecision-MakerPulseSurvey,mostrecentlyconductedinlateApril2020,reflectedthewidespreaduncertaintyaboutfutureprospects.
Ofthemorethan3,700respondents,allwithsomeresponsibilityforB2Bpurchasesorsales,45percentbelievedtheeconomywouldreboundintwotothreemonths,whiletheremaindersaidthatcouldtakesixto12monthsorevenlonger.
ThesedivergentattitudesmayshowthatbusinessleadersareunsureaboutthelastingfinancialeffectsofCOVID-19.
Theymayalsoreflectthevaryingimpactofthecoronavirusindifferentgeographies:whilesomeregionsandcompanieswillsoonbereadyforramp-up,othersarestillclosedorfunctioningbelowcapacity.
AlthoughB2Bcompaniesmaybelievethattheirfocusonliquidityandothershort-termconcernsisjustified,itcouldbecostly.
Ourresearchsuggeststhatcompaniesaremorelikelytothriveiftheyactaggressivelytocapturemarketshareduringdownturnsratherthanwaitfortherecoverytobegin.
Thisagility,combinedwithafocusoncustomervalueandsupport,oftengivescompaniesafirst-moveradvantagethatotherplayerscannotmatch.
Firstmoversduringthecurrentcrisiscouldemergestrongerinthenextnormal.
TohelpB2Bleadersdevelopsolidlong-termstrategies,weresearchedthetrendsnowtransformingthemarketplace,lookingforthemesthataffectallplayers.
WealsoreviewedinsightsfromtheglobalB2BDecision-MakerPulseSurvey.
Withthisinformation,wewereabletoidentifythemostimportantelementsofasuccessfulrecoveryforB2Bplayers,whichneednewstrategiestohelpthemidentifyandcapturenewopportunitiesquickly,aswellasgo-to-marketmodelsthatincreasetheimportanceofdigitalandremotesales.
Andwiththesuddenexplosionofe-commerce,thischannelneedsmoreattentionandsupport—especiallybecausetheshiftfromin-personsalescouldbepermanent.
Alsocriticalinthenextnormal:theabilitytocreatetailoredpricingstrategiesforeachcustomerandanagileapproachtoaccelerateproductinnovation.
IdentifyingspecificgrowthpocketsCOVID-19hasupendeddemandpatternsacrosssectors,renderingtraditionalforecastingmethodsinaccurate.
Theeconomicscenariosthatwillemergeoverthenextfewyearswilldifferwidelybycountry,dependingonthelocalimpactofthecoronavirus,governmentstimuluspackages,andotherfactors.
Evenwithincountries,industriesmayrecoveratdifferentspeeds.
Withsuchuncertainty,B2Bcompaniescannotexpecttoachievehistoricalreturnsfromtheircurrentcustomerbaseandproductmix.
Agilitywillbeessentialindevelopingnewgrowthstrategies,sincetheearlydaysoftheCOVID-19crisisshowhowquicklynewopportunitiescanemerge,aswellashowrapidlysomethrivingmarketscanslowdown.
Forinstance,semiconductorcompaniesexpectthatdemandwillplummetintheautomotiveandseveralothersegmentsin2020butwillincreaseinthewired-communicationendmarket.
Togetreal-timevisibilityintomarkets,B2Bcompaniesshouldevaluateinformationoncompetitorsandleadingindicators,aswellasCOVID-specificdata.
Announcementsthatplantsarereopeningorthatgovernmentsarerelaxinglockdownscanprovideimportantcluesaboutdemand,marketchallenges,andtherate2ofviralspread.
Informationonhistoricvolumesindifferentcountriesorindustriesmayalsohelp,thoughcompaniesmaynotseedemandreturntoformerlevelsimmediately.
Toprovideinsights,thisinformationmustbeverydetailed—forinstance,saleswithinmicrogeographiesorzipcodes.
Aftergatheringthesedata,B2Bcompaniescancreatedifferentscenariostoshowhowdemandmightevolve,lookingatproducts,customersegments,andregion.
Theinsightsfromthisanalysiswillallowcompaniestofindpocketsofopportunity.
Oneimportantfocus:determiningwhichsegmentsarelikelytorecoverfirstandwhetherdemandintheseareaswillexceedorfallbelowpreviouslevels.
Insomecases,B2Bcompaniesmayfindthattheyshouldaddnewproductstotheirpipelinesorpursuedifferentcustomersegments.
Oncethetargetopportunitiesareidentified,marketingandsalesteamsmustadaptquickly.
B2Bcompaniesshouldnotonlyeliminatebureaucraticrequirementsthatmightslowthemdownbutalsogiveteamsthefreedomtoadjusttheirstrategiesasthemarketevolve.
Forinstance,companiesmightneedtoreallocateresourcesandstaffortoupdatesalesincentives.
Thosethatmaintainadashboardshowingdetailedinformationonopportunitiesbymicrogeography,endmarketorvertical,andcustomersegmentmayspotshiftingdemandpatternsmorequickly.
Reshapingthego-to-marketapproachforthenextnormalInoursurvey,96percentofrespondentsstatedthatCOVID-19hadnecessitatedchangesintheirgo-to-marketmodels(Exhibit1).
Manyhadtoshiftfromin-personinteractionstoremotesales,atleasttosomeextent.
Thesalesstaffsofsome,forexample,makecontactwithbuyerssolelythroughphoneorwebchannels.
Remotesalesinteractionswillbethenormfortheforeseeablefutureasphysical-distancingrequirementsandtravelrestrictionspersist.
Exhibit1MostoftheB2Bcompaniesinoursurveyshiftedtheirgo-to-marketmodelsinresponsetotheCOVID-19crisis.
Question:Inwhatwayswasyourcompany'sproductorservicesoldbeforeCOVID-19Question:Nowtoday,inwhatwaysisyourcompany'sproductorservicesoldduringCOVID-19Source:McKinseyCOVID-19B2BDecision-MakerPulse#2,4/20–4/28/2020(n=3,755)WebExhibitofGo-to-marketsalesmodelduringCOVID19,%ofrespondentsIn-person/fieldsalesteam:MeetingwithcustomersfacetofaceInsidesalesteam:PhoneinteractionsOnlinesupport:Chattingwithcustomersviavideo/website/mobileappOtherE-commerce:Productsandservicessolddirectlyonline—nosalesrepresentativeDuringCOVID-19BeforeCOVID-19554652462140625133MostoftheB2Bcompaniesinoursurveyshiftedtheirgo-to-marketmodelsinresponsetotheCOVID-19crisis.
3UnlikemanyotherchangespromptedbyCOVID-19,thisshifthashadsomepositiveconsequences—andcouldactuallybringnewopportunities.
Oursurveyshowedthatrespondentsweremorelikelytocitedigitalthantraditionalchannelswhenaskedaboutthebestwaytoresearchsuppliers(Exhibit2).
Websitesofsuppliers,onlinematerialsfromthem,andlivechatswereratedthemostvaluableresources.
Inadditiontostrengtheningcustomerbonds,strongdigitalchannelsmayoftenhelpB2Bcompaniesreducetheirsalescosts.
Overall,about65percentofsurveyrespondentssaidinlateAprilthattheirnewgo-to-marketmodelswereequallyormoreeffectiveinreachingcustomersthantheirformersalesmethodswere—upmorethan10percentsincetheearlyAprilsurvey(Exhibit3).
Withsuchhighsatisfaction,manybusinesseswillprobablyquestionwhethertheyshouldeverreturntotheoldstatusquo.
Infact,about80percentstatedthattheyweresomewhatorverylikelytosustainthechangesfor12monthsorlonger.
Ifthisholdstrue,B2BcompaniesacrossExhibit2Surveyrespondentsnowbelievedigitalchannelsaremostvaluablewhenresearchingsuppliers.
Question:Whatwaysofinteractingwithasupplierwouldbemostbeneficialtoyouwhenresearching/consideringsuppliersgoingforwardRankupto3thatwouldbemostbeneficial.
Afree-responseoptionwasgiven,but0%ofrespondentsfilleditoutin2020.
Source:McKinseyCOVID-19B2BDecision-MakerPulse#1,3/30–4/9/2020(n=3,619)WebExhibitofMostbenecialsupplierinteractionsforresearching/consideringsuppliers,%ofrespondentsrankingintop3SupplierwebsiteOnlinematerialfromsupplierInformationonmobileappWebsearchPostonsocialmedia/onlineLivechatEmailfromsalesrepTextfromsalesrepReferralfromsomeoneinmyindustryCustomerreferralTradeshowIndustrypublicationPrintmaterialfromsupplierMeetingsalesrepinpersonCallfromsalesrepDirectmailfromsalesrepDigitalSelf-serveDirectedTraditionalSelf-serveDirected25222020172420111716141311232215Surveyrespondentsnowbelievedigitalchannelsaremostvaluablewhenresearchingsuppliers.
4industriescouldrevisittheirgo-to-marketmodelsoverthenextyear,andmanywillresolvetoembeddigitalandremotesalesoptionsalongtheentirecustomerdecisionjourney.
Althoughmostcompaniesbenefitfromtheirexpandeddigitalgo-to-marketchannels,othersobviouslystrugglewiththem.
Customersexpectaremoteexperienceofhighquality,andcompaniesmuststriveforimprovementinthisareaiftheywanttocutsalescostsandincreasecustomersatisfaction.
SomeB2Bplayershavealreadymadebigchangestoimprovetheirdigitalapproach.
Onecompany,forinstance,isaskingveteraninsidesalesrepresentativestocross-trainfieldreps.
Anotherhasopenedavirtualshowroomtoreplacecanceledorpostponedtradeshows.
Althougheachcompanymustdevelopago-to-marketmodeluniquetoitscircumstancesandcustomerbase,astrongapproachtoimprovingdigitalandremotesaleswilltypicallyincludethefollowingsteps:—Discover.
Companiesshouldconductafact-basedcustomersegmentationthatconsiderseconomics(includingpotentialrevenuesandprofits)andpreferenceswithineachgroup.
Togettherightlevelofdetail,customersurveysandinterviewsareessential.
Exhibit3About65percentofsurveyrespondentsbelievethenewsalesmodelisequallyormoreeectivethantheirpre-COVID-19models.
Note:Figuresmaynotsumto100%,becauseofrounding.
Question:Howeffectiveisyourcompany'snewsalesmodelatreachingandservingcustomersSource:McKinseyCOVID-19B2BDecision-MakerPulse#1,3/30–4/9/2020(n=3,619);McKinseyCOVID-19USB2BDecision-MakerPulse#2,4/20–4/28/2020(n=3,755)WebExhibitofEectivenessofnewsalesmodelinreachingandservingcustomers,%ofrespondentsMuchlesseffectiveApr9Apr28SomewhatlesseffectiveAseffectiveasbeforeSomewhatmoreeffectiveMuchmoreeffective9182739112529287754%aseffective,ormoreso,comparedwithbeforeCOVID-19MuchlesseffectiveSomewhatlesseffectiveAseffectiveasbeforeSomewhatmoreeffectiveMuchmoreeffective65%aseffective,ormoreso,comparedwithbeforeCOVID-19About65percentofsurveyrespondentsbelievethenewsalesmodelisequallyormoreeffectivethantheirpre-COVID-19models.
5—Design.
Inthisphase,companiesdefinetherightgo-to-marketmodelforeachsegment.
Themodelshouldconsiderdirectchannels(includingkeyaccountmanagersandinsidesalesreps)andindirectchannels(suchasdistributorsandthirdpartye-commerceplayers).
Companiesmustalsomapemployeestonewrolesanddeterminetheirterritories,accountcoverage,andrevenuegoals.
Intandem,theyshouldensurethattheirperformance-managementapproach,organizationalcapabilities,systems,andtoolsareappropriate.
—Build.
Beforescalingupthenewgo-to-marketmodel,companiesshouldcommunicatechangesinroles,territories,accounts,andKPIstoallrelevantpersonnel.
Theywillalsoneedtocommunicatewiththeircustomersaboutanychangesandcreatetransitionplans.
—Sustain.
Companiesshouldregularlycheckinwithcustomerstoensurethattheyhaveaqualityexperienceduringthetransition.
Adherencetothenewmodelandstrongperformancemanagementarecriticaltosustainingvalueaftercompaniesimplementanewgo-to-marketmodel.
Asalways,theyshouldalsocontinuetoupgradetheskillsoftheiremployeesthroughongoingtraining.
Turbocharginge-commercegrowthB2Be-commerceaccountedfor$1.
2trillioninrevenuesin2018,andthenumberswillprobablyincrease.
Ourlatestglobalsurveyshowedthattheyareupbymorethan20percentsincetheonsetofCOVID-19andthatdigitalinteractionsaretwotimesmoreimportanttocustomersnowthantheywerebeforethepandemic.
ThebenefitsoftheshifttoB2Be-commercecouldbeimmense,sincecompaniesthatembeddigitalsalesintotheirgo-to-marketmodelsee5-timesfasterrevenuegrowth,comparedwithpreviouslevels,aswellas30percenthigheracquisitionefficiency,andcostreductionsof40to60percentwithinsales.
Manycompaniesarealreadytryingtointroduceorenhancetheirdigitalchannels.
Onelargee-commercesite,forexample,hasimplementedsolutionstosupportautodealers,includingonlinetradeshowsandfreightservices.
Forcompaniesthatwanttofollowasimilarpath,somecriticalstepsareessential.
First,B2Bcompaniesshoulddesigne-commercesolutionswithcustomersinmind,alwaysfocusingontheirjourneysandpainpoints.
Andratherthanattemptingtolaunchadigitalbusinessmodelacrossallproducts,services,andmarkets,companiesshouldinitiallyfocusonalimitednumberofofferingsandgeographies.
Oncetheygainsometractionthere,theycanscaleuptheire-commercesolutionsthroughouttheorganization.
Sincemanyemployeesmaybenewtoe-commerce,B2Bcompaniesshouldassignownerstodifferenttasksandmakeresponsibilitiesclear.
Forinstance,theymightcreateatechnologyanddesignteamtodefinethesitearchitectureandtolinkvariousITsystems,suchasthoseforwarehousemanagementandorderhandling.
Anoperationsteamcouldtakechargeofsettingupthewarehouse.
Aproduct-assortmentteamcouldanalyzeoptions;choosethetopSKUsforlaunch;obtainsamplestophotograph,measure,anddescribe;andperhapsdevelopDigitalinteractionsaretwotimesmoreimportanttocustomersnowthantheywerebeforethepandemic.
6creativeonline-onlybundles.
Themarketingteam'snewresponsibilitiescouldincludesettingupastructuredcustomer-relationship-managementsystemanddevelopingcampaignstodrivehigh-qualitytraffictothecompany'ssite.
AsB2Bcompaniesexperimentwithincreasedlevelsofe-commerce,theymayneedtotestanditeratedifferentapproachesquickly.
Theymightidentifyeffectivesolutionsmoreeasilybyestablishingtherightmetricsandkeyperformanceindicators.
Inadditiontomonitoringthenumberofsalesorthenumberofpeoplewhoswitchtoe-commercefromotherchannels,B2Bcompaniesshouldlookatverydetaileddatainthreeareas:traffic,conversions,andaverageordervalue.
Foreachcustomercohort,togiveoneexample,theycouldmeasuremicroconversions—smallstepstowardapurchase—anddetermineifanyuser-experiencefeaturesonthewebsiteseemedtoincreasetherate.
B2Bcompaniesshouldalsokeepthefocusoncustomersbycontinuallyanalyzingthee-commerceprocesstouncoverpainpointsandbottlenecks.
Usinganagileapproach,theycanprioritizeissues,rapidlytestanditeratesolutions,andscalethemassoonaspossible.
AdaptingpricestosuitcustomerneedsB2Bcompanieshavecloselywatchedtheirspendingasthecoronavirushasshutdownplants,cutdemand,andhurtthebottomline.
Inourlatestsurvey,about54percentofrespondentssaidthattheircompanieshaddecreasedoverallbudgets—ashiftthatcouldhaveimplicationsforproductpricing,sincebuyersmaybelookingfordeals(Exhibit4).
Thecompaniesoftheremainingrespondentshadkeptbudgetsataboutthesamelevel(24percent)orincreasedthem(21percent).
About42percentexpectedtomakeadditionalreductionsinthenearfuture.
Thesebudgetcutswereconsistentacrossmostcategoriesandindustries,showingthewide-reachingimpactofCOVID-19.
Withdemandvolatileandbudgetstrendingdownacrossmostcategories,pricingisunderpressurefromB2Bbuyers.
Theirsupplierswillhaveonequestiontopofmind:"HowcanIhelpmycustomerswhoarestrugglingintheneartermwhileensuringthesustainabilityofmyownbusinessduringandaftertherecovery"Theanswerwillinvolvedevelopingcreativeandflexiblesolutionsthatgofarbeyondtoplinepricereductions.
Nosinglepricingstrategyworksinallcases,butmanyB2Bcompanieshavealreadydevelopedcustomizedoffers:—Atechplayerprovidedcustomerswith90-dayfreeaccesstoimportantsoftwaretohelpthemrespondtoCOVID-19'sdisruptions.
Exhibit4ManyB2Bcompanieshavealreadycuttheirbudgetsandalsoexpectadditionalreductions.
Note:Figuresmaynotsumto100%,becauseofrounding.
Includessurveyrespondentsfrom(Braziln=400),(Chinan=400),(Francen=200),(Germanyn=400),(Indian=400),(USn=619),(Italyn=400),(Japann=200),(SouthKorean=201),(Spainn=200),(UKn=199).
Question:Howhasthecoronavirus(COVID-19)situationaffectedyourcompany'sbudgetforthefollowingareasQuestion:Howdoyouthinkspendingonthefollowingmaychangeinthenext2weeks"Aboutthesame"refersto±3%changeinbudget.
Source:McKinseyCOVID-19B2BDecision-MakerPulse#1,3/30–4/9/2020(n=3,619);McKinseyCOVID-19B2BDecision-MakerPulse#2,4/20–4/28/2020(n=3,755)WebExhibitofGlobalspendingshiftsasaresultofCOVID19,%ofspendchanges(asofApr28)CompanybudgetInthenext2weeksReducedIncreasedAboutthesameReducedIncreasedAboutthesame212454273242ManyB2Bcompanieshavealreadycuttheirbudgetsandalsoexpectadditionalreductions.
7—Atelecomcompanywaivedlatefeesandguaranteedthatsmallbusinesseswouldsuffernoserviceinterruptionsforseveralmonths.
—Anindustrial-servicesproviderintroducednewoptions,smallerinscope,thatcouldbesoldatlowerpricesandbettermetcustomerneedsMorebroadly,allindustryleadershavebeenprovidingtheirdistributedsalesforceswithbettertoolsandanalytics,whichhelpthemevaluatepricing-relatedtrade-offs.
Withoutthisassistance,theymighthavedifficultymakingdecisionsrapidly.
Todeveloptherightofferforeachaccount,B2Bcompaniesmustcloselyunderstandcustomersandtheirevolvingneeds:whileonebuyermightvalueone-timediscounts,anothercouldpreferdebundledofferings.
B2Bcompaniesshouldalsoconsiderdemandwhenadjustingpricesforspecificcustomersorproductcategories,ratherthanmakecarte-blanchedecisionscoveringmultiplecategories.
Manyloyal,dependablecustomersmaybestrugglingduringthecrisis.
Theydeservespecialpricingconsideration,sincelong-termaccountsaretheprimarysourceofcashflowandorganicgrowth.
IfB2Bcompaniesaccommodatetheneedsofsuchcustomersnow,theywillstrengthenlong-standingrelationshipsandbuildgreaterloyalty.
Whenthepandemicendsanddemandbeginstosurge,long-timecustomerscouldonceagainprovetobethegreatestsourceofB2Brevenues.
Beyondlowerchurnandattrition,B2Bcompaniesthatgetpricingrightwilldecreasecostsforcustomerserviceandaccountacquisition.
Tobuildastrongpricingfoundation,leadersshouldensurethatallrelevantstaff—especiallythoseinsales,salessupport,andpricing—havetheessentialcapabilities.
Forinstance,pricingteamsmustknowhowtocreatetailoredofferswhilesalesrepresentativesmayneedadditionalcommunicationstrainingifremoteinteractionscontinueandrelationship-basedsellingbecomesmoredifficult.
Foroverallguidance,B2Bcompaniesmightconsidercreatingacross-functionalvaluecouncilthatpreventspanickyreactionsandprovidesclearguidelinesandobjectivesforthecommercialteam.
Withpriceadjustmentsbecomingmorecommon,B2Bcompaniesshouldmaintaindisciplineinprocessesandperformancemanagement.
Iftheyagreetofurtherpricereductionsordecidenottoenforcecontracts,theyshouldensurethatsuchmovestrulyhelpcustomerrelationships.
B2Bcompaniesmightalsowanttoreviewpricingstrategiesmorefrequently,sincethecustomerlandscapewillcontinuetoevolverapidly.
Withpriceadjustmentsbecomingmorecommon,B2Bcompaniesshouldmaintaindisciplineinprocessesandperformancemanagement.
8Rapidlyintroducingnewproducts—orreengineeringcurrentonesInourglobalB2BDecision-MakerPulseSurvey,morethan90percentofexecutivessaidtheyexpectCOVID-19tobringfundamentalchangestotheircompanies.
Butmanyofthemareputtingproductinnovationonthebackburnertoconservecash,minimizerisk,andshoreupthecorebusiness.
Somerespondentsalsowanttowaituntiltheyhavemoreclarityaboutfutureeconomicdevelopments.
Whilethishesitationisunderstandable,experienceshowsthatcompanieswinbyinvestingininnovationintimesofcrisis.
Duringpastdownturns,suchcompaniestypicallyachievedtotalreturnstoshareholders10percenthigherthanthoseoftheirpeersandalsooutperformedthemarketbymorethan30percentduringtherecoveryyears.
Innovatorsachievethesegainsbecausetheyrealizethattheirlong-timebusinessmodelsmaynolongerdeliverthesamereturnswhenacrisisalterscustomerneeds.
Ratherthanstickingtothestatusquo,innovatorsadaptearlytosuitthenewenvironment.
Bythetimethecrisisendsanddemandrecovers,theirnewofferingsarereadyforlaunch.
Meanwhile,companiesthathesitatedtoinnovatemayhavefewnewproductstoenticecustomers.
WithCOVID-19,B2Bcompanieshaveauniqueopportunitytoinnovatebecausecustomerneedsareevolvingsorapidlyandmovinginsuchunexpecteddirections.
Sucheffortsmayinvolvecreatingnewproducts,modifyingorupgradingofferingstosatisfymarketdemand,orrefreshingthevalueproposition.
Considerafewrecentexamples:—Atechnologycompanyrapidlycreatedasuiteofremotesolutions,includingthoseformaintenancesupportandspare-partstocking,toensurethatbusinesseshaveaccesstofieldoperatorsandserviceengineers.
—Ahousehold-appliancecompanydesigned,developed,andproducedaventilatorintendays.
—AnothertechnologycompanyreconfigureditsdigitalassistanttoanswerCOVID-19questionsfromemployeesandcustomers.
—Afinancial-servicesandmobile-paymentcompanymodifieditsproductstoallowtouchlesspayments,disablesignaturerequirements,andfacilitatee-commerce.
Everyinnovativeproductcomeswithsomedegreeofrisk;companiescannotbesuretheirinvestmentswillpayoff.
Unexpectedtechnologicalobstaclesorlower-than-anticipateddemandcouldalsodiminishtheprospectsofsuchcompanies.
AlthoughB2Bplayerscannoteliminateeveryunknownfromtheinnovationprocess,theycanincreasetheiroddsofsuccessbyresearchingcustomerneeds.
Aswesaidearlier,COVID-19hasshifteddemandinunexpectedwaysbecausebuyershavenewpriorities.
Afteranalyzingmarketdynamicsandchangingcustomerneeds,B2Bcompaniesmaydiscoverthattheirbusinessmodelsareobsoleteandtheirportfolioshavegaps.
Althoughagilityisessential,manyB2Bcompaniesstillhavecomplexorganizationalstructuresandprocessesthatslowdownproductdevelopment.
Inthenextnormal,cross-functionalteams,withrepresentativesfromproductdevelopment,sales,customersupport,andothergroups,shouldfollowanagileapproachtocreatenewofferings.
Weeklydesignsprintsinwhichteamsfocusondesigningspecificproductfeaturesmayspeedthingsup.
9DesignedbyGlobalEditorialServicesCopyright2020McKinsey&Company.
Allrightsreserved.
MintiRayisanassociatepartnerinMcKinsey'sPhiladelphiaoffice.
StefanoRedaelliisaseniorpartnerinMcKinsey'sStamfordoffice,whereDamianRudichisanassociatepartner.
AndrewWongisanassociatepartnerintheChicagooffice.
TheauthorswouldliketothankSaravanaSivanandhamforhiscontributionstothisarticle.
B2Bcompanies,likeplayersinmostotherindustries,willbedealingwithchallengesarisingfromCOVID-19foryears.
Atpresent,mostleadersatthesecompaniesaresoconsumedwithsurvivingtheimmediatecrisisthattheyarenotlookingaheadtotherecoveryphase,whendemandwillagainbegintogrow.
Butleaderscouldincreasetheoddsoflong-termsuccessiftheyfocusedoninnovationduringtheCOVID-19crisisbylookingatnewproducts,strategies,andorganizationalstructures.
Thosefirstmoversmaygainanearlyadvantagethattheircompetitorsfinddifficulttomatch.
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