Optimizing the Lead-to-Order Process: Step 2, Customer Needs Assessment August 31, 2010
Posted by Sylvie Rouge in DESIGN, SELL.Tags: Guided Selling, Lead-to-order
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New Webinar: “The Value of a ‘Next Gen’ Product Configurator” August 27, 2010
Posted by Sylvie Rouge in DESIGN.Tags: Configurable Product Modeling, Launching new products, Product Configurator
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Until recently, product configurators were only considered appropriate for the manufacturing industry to improve configured-to-order sales operations. However, as featured Gartner analyst Gene Alvarez points out in this webinar, the newest generation of configurators is now appropriate for a much wider range of industries, including those that provide customized services rather than only physical products. (more…)
Why a Product Designer Solution is Essential to Successful Product Configuration August 24, 2010
Posted by Sylvie Rouge in DESIGN.Tags: Product Configurator, Personalized Products, Product Designer
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Often marketing teams have a hard time defining new offers and updating and deploying them across all sales channels. They need to ensure consistency across online, phone and in-person channels, and ensure everyone is up to date with the latest offerings. These issues are even more apparent when talking about custom-made products or personalized offerings sold via a product configurator software system. (more…)
Optimizing the Lead-to-Order Process: Step 1 August 19, 2010
Posted by Sylvie Rouge in DESIGN, SELL.Tags: Personalized Products, Manufacturing, Lead-to-order
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Selling customizable products and services can be a difficult activity. Customers want what they want, when they want it and at the price they want to pay. While it is not possible 100% of the time to meet all of these requests, there are ways that salespeople can make use of the lead-to-order (LTO) process in order to meet as many of those needs as possible. This is the first in a series of steps vendors can take in order to optimize this process. (more…)
Risk Number 10: Not Planning for User Acceptance of the New Product Configuration Processes August 13, 2010
Posted by Sylvie Rouge in DESIGN.Tags: Configurable Product Modeling, Configuration Project, Top 10 risks
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We all procrastinate sometimes, but waiting until late in the implementation cycle to plan user acceptance will only exacerbate the risks, already cited in our previous posts. Scrambling at the last minute in reaction to user sensitive problems may trigger even more resistance: fear of excessive work pressure and loss of control at the time of “going live.” In this unfortunate circumstance, the possible rewards of the new processes may no longer appear adequate or satisfying. (more…)
Subscription Fee Wars Make Telecommunications a Tough Business August 10, 2010
Posted by Sylvie Rouge in SELL.Tags: Mass Customization, Telco, Personalized Products
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As of July 2009, over 87% of Americans had a cell phone. That figure is not just adults, but 87% of the overall population, meaning nearly every adult and a lot of children have mobile phones. Up until the last couple years, wireless carriers were still gaining new subscribers at a fairly regular pace meaning company growth was virtually assured. With the country at near total mobile phone penetration though, providers can no longer rely on new subscribers for continued growth. (more…)
