An SFG℠AnalystsTake

ASpecialSFG℠ AnalystsTakeWrittenby:BillPollockPresident&PrincipalConsultingAnalystStrategiesForGrowth℠/ PollockOnServiceWesttown,PennsylvaniaUSA+1610-399-9717wkp@s4growth.comwww.PollockOnService.com ResearchPoweredby

©2017StrategiesForGrowth

How to Sell Services to IndividualVertical Industry SegmentsYou Need to Understand Their Unique Needs &Requirements – and be Organized to Meet Them

An SFG℠AnalystsTake

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A. Introduction

Allverticalindustrysegmentscontinuetoundergosignificantchange,andalongwiththischangecomesevolvingneedsandrequirementsforfieldserviceandcustomersupport.Inaddition,thecompetitivelandscapeoftheglobalservicescommunityisinaphaseofconstantacquisition,merger,partnership,consolidationandrealignment,andnotwoexpertscanagreeonwhereitwillend,andwhatitwillultimatelylooklike.

Still,FieldServiceManagement(FSM)solutionusersexpect,anddemand,consistentlyhighlevelsofserviceandsupportsothattheycandealmoreeffectivelywiththeirowngrowingeconomiccosts,shiftingcustomerdemographics,advancementsinnewtechnologiesandchangingpatternsofgrowth.Thereare,however,someeasyguidelinesforgettingstartedonthepathtobeingbetterpreparedtosupportthesehighlydemandingand,oftentimes,heavilyregulatedindustrysegments.

“Thebestplacetostartistofirstgainastrongworkingknowledgeoftheuniqueneedsforeachoftheindividualverticalindustrysegmentsyouaretargeting.”

Thebestplacetostartistofirstgainastrongworkingknowledgeoftheuniqueneedsforeachoftheindividualverticalindustrysegmentsyouaretargeting,typicallycomprisedofmanufacturers/OEMs,third-partymaintainersandindependentserviceorganizations,professionalservicesorganizations,in-houseservicesorganizations,consumersandothers;whointurn,supporttheirrespectivesystems,equipmentanddevices– eitheron-premise,intheCloud– orboth!

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B. UnderstandingtheUniqueNeeds&RequirementsofIndividualIndustrySegments

Knowingthespecificservicesbusinessofyourcustomersandalloftheirgeneralterminology,"buzzwords”,KeyPerformanceIndicators(KPIs)andacronymsisnotonlyanadmirablegoal,buta"given"justtoparticipateinasegment-specificsector(i.e.,termslikeManufacturer/OEM,TPM/ISO,MTTR,FTFR,etc.).However,eachindividualmarketsegmentalsohasitsownuniquesetoftermsandacronyms,aswellasitsownstructureandorganization,patternsofpurchasinganddecision-making,andmeansforevaluatingtheneedsandrequirementsofservice

Thisisthelevelofunderstandingthatisultimatelyrequiredinordertosucceedinbuildingasolutionthatmeetstheneedsofanyindividualspecificindustrysegment– keepingfirmlyinmindthatthesameacronyms(e.g.,ATM)maymeansomethingentirelydifferentindifferentindustrysegments(e.g.,thecommunicationsandbankingsegments,etc.).Also,youwillneedtokeepinmindthatsomesegments(e.g.,medicaldevices,aerospace,government,etc.)maybemuchmoredemandingthanothers.

Whiletherearemanyguidelinesthatcanbeusedtofacilitateanunderstandingofthespecificneedsandrequirementsofindividualsegments,thereareessentiallysix(6)whichprovideasoundfoundation.Theyare:

1."Ifyoudon'tspeaktheirlanguage,theywon'tthinkyouunderstandtheirbusiness"

AlloftheFSMsolutionprovider’ssales,servicesandmarketingpersonnelthathaveanycontact,eitherdirectorindirect,withcustomersandprospectsmustbefamiliarwiththeterminology,technologyand"buzzwords"ofthetargetedsegment.Theywillberequiredtocommunicatearticulately withcompanymanagementandpersonnelateachprospectorganization,typicallycomingfromavarietyofrelatedfields,sometimeswithvendorssupportingtheirsegment,andarenowservingintherolesofdepartmentheadsorpurchasingmanagers,equipmentoperatorsand/ortechnicians,etc.Theyalreadyspeakthelanguage,and,asaresult,theentireFSMsolutionprovidersalesteamwillneedtobetrainedtounderstandandspeaktokeycustomerissuesintheirownwords,namesandexamples.

Everyindustrysegmenthasitsownvocabularyandterminology– and,asanexample,themedicaldevicesegmentisnoexception!Infact,withasdiverseacompositionofmedicalsystems,equipment,instrumen-tationanddevicesthatpopulatethissegment,aswellasthemanydepartmentsorgroupsthatgetinvolvedinthesolutionacquisitiondecision-makingprocess,simplylearningtheacronymsthemselvescanbealmostoverbearing.Medicalsystems,equipmentandinstrumentationthatcanbefoundinamedicalcenter’simagingdepartmentcanincludex-ray,ultrasound,MRI,CTscanner(i.e.,don’tcallthemcat-scanners!),nuclearmedicine,PETT,andmanyothers.Therearealsobloodgaschemistryanalyzers,patientmonitoringsystems,surgicalsuitesystemsandafullrangeofaccompanyingconsumablesandreagents,inadditiontoparts.

Further,althoughtheirHospitalInformationSystem(HIS)maylooksimilartoyouasmanyothertypesofdatacentersorrepositories– theywillalsohavetheirownsetof“buzzwords”,acronymsandterminology,aswell.Althoughmostsegment-specificmedicalservicesorganizationsmayalreadyunderstandthesenames,acronymsandterminologies,themoregeneralITservicesorganizationswillneedtorampuptolearntheminordertobeperceivedascredibleforsupportingamedicalsystemsandequipmentinstalledbase.

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2. "Ifyouknowwhotosellto,youcanshortentheoverallsalescycle"

Knowingwhotoselltowithintheprospect(andcustomer)organizationiscriticaltothesuccessoftheoverallsaleseffort.Thefewerreferralsyougetwithintheorganizationbeforeyoureachtherightdecision-maker,thelesslikelyyouwillbeingetting"brushedoff"alongtheway.

However,inordertobeinapositionwhereyoucaneffectivelydifferentiatebetweenthedecision-influencersandthedecision-makers,youwillfirstneedtounderstandthesegment's(andeachprospect’s)organizationalstructure,hierarchyandroles.Thiswillrequireanenlightenedunderstandingofthevarioustitles,responsibilitiesandrolesofkeysegmentdecision-makersingeneral,aswellasthespecificnamesrelatingtoeachwithintheprospectorganization.

Whoarethesedecisionmakers?Whataretheirpainpoints?Whatgetsthem“excited”aboutservice?Whatisatypicalstructureatcompaniesintheirindustrysegment?

“Everyservicesorganizationhasitsowncharacteristicstructure,organizationalhierarchyandroles.Thatiswhyitissocritical

thattheFSMsolutionsalesteamunderstandsexactlyhoweachofitstargetedprospectsisstructuredandorganized.”

Everyservicesorganizationhasitsowncharacteristicstructure,organizationalhierarchyandroles.ThatiswhyitissocriticalthattheFSMsolutionsalesteamunderstandsexactly howeachofitstargetedprospectsisstructuredandorganized– especiallywithregardtowhotheprincipalFSMsolutionacquisitiondecision-makers(anddecision-makers)are.

Forexample,atsomeorganizations,allITandsoftwaresolutionacquisitionsarescreened,managed,negotiatedandoverseenbyaseniorITprogramteamand/orcommittee.Itisoftenthecasewherethiswouldrepresentthestartingpointofentryforthesolutionvendorsalesteam;however,inothercases,itmightcommenceattheCFO’s,orCIO’s,office,Financeand/orPurchasingDepartment.Again,italldependsoneachorganization’suniquestructureandhierarchyofdecision-makers.

Themodeofacquisitionwillalsolikelyhaveanimpactonwhowithintheprospectorganizationwillconstitutetheultimatedecision-makingentity.Forexample,underaperpetuallicensescenario(i.e.,typicallyinvolvingalarge,up-front,capitalexpenditure),thedecision-makingteamislikelytoincludeFinanceandPurchasing,DepartmentHeads,aswellasServiceOperations.

However,underasubscriptionpricingmodel(i.e.,wherethereisnolarge,up-front,capitaloutlayrequired),regularmonthly(orquarterly)usage-relatedpaymentsaretypicallysubstantiallylowerand,accordingly,theultimateacquisitiondecisionmaynotneedtoinvolveallofthesedepartments.SinceCloud-basedFSMsolutionsaretypicallysoldvia subscriptionmodel,thepurchasedecision-makingprocesswilllikelybelessinvolved.

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3. "Ifyouknowwhoisinvolvedinmakingthedecision,youcanensurethattheyhaveeverythingtheyneedfromyou"

Thedecision-makingprocess,andultimatelytheentiresolutionsalescycle,canbebothexpeditedandfacilitatedifthesolutionsalesandmarketingteamhasapriorunderstanding ofwhoisinvolvedinthedecision-makingprocess,howmanyindividualsgetinvolved,who“callstheshots”,howlongtheprocesstakes,whattheyneedtoknow,andwhentheyneedit.Anyincompleteinformationprovidedwillsimplyextendtheoveralllengthoftheprocess,andanyextraneousinformationwillcreate"noise".Insomecases,informationgiventothe"wrong"individualmaybeworsethannotprovidingitatall.

Thisisanareawhereamorecompleteunderstandingofthespecificindividual(s)youwillbesellingtowillbehelpfultoensurethatyoufullyunderstandalloftheneeds,requirements,constraints(i.e.,bothITandbudgetary),preferencesand“painpoints”thatwillcomeintoplay.Itwillgenerallybethisindividual(orgroupofindividuals)whowillconveytoyouthebusiness’mainacquisitionandusageconsiderationsthatmayincludeanythingfromimplementationtimeframeandtraining;toinitialcostvs. TotalCostofOwnership(TCO),Return-on-Investment(ROI),andotherfinancialaspects,etc.

4. "Ifyouunderstandtheircostconstraints,youcanpackageyoursolutionmoreattractively"

Allprospectsarelikelytoinformyouoftheirvariouscostconstraintsrightfromtheoutset.However,allsolutionsalespersonnelshouldbetrainedtodistinguish"real"from"perceived"costsasaresultoftheinitialprospectmeetingandneedsassessment.Theyshouldbeabletoestablishprospectthresholdsforcostvs.value andbuildintotheequationthebesttimingforspreadingoutthetotalprogramcosts.

“solutionsalespersonnelshouldbetrainedtodistinguish‘real’from‘perceived’costs[and]shouldbeabletoestablish

prospectthresholdsforcostvs.value.”

Sometimestotalcostistheprincipaldeterminant;sometimesregularlyscheduledcashexpendituresaremoreimportant.Ineithercase,themostappropriately"packaged"andpricedsolutionmustbedevelopedforeachprospectandcustomer,andyoursolutionsalespersonnelmustbeequippedtodothis.

Somepotentialexamplesofcostconstraintsmayincludedepartmentallimitsimposedonmonthlyexpenditures(e.g.,wheretheDepartmentorServicesManagermayonlybeabletoapproveuptoacertainamountofexpensespermonth,etc.).Underasubscriptionpricingmodel,thisconstraintmaydisappearentirely;however,inaperpetuallicensingscenario,theapprovalforthesolutionacquisitionmayneedtobeescalatedtotheattentionoftheCIOandCFO,etc.Ofcourse,salesofCloud-basedFSMsolutionswilllikelyavoidthislevelofcomplexity.

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5. "Ifyouknowhowyourcustomerssupporttheirusers,youcanbetterunderstandtheirsolutionneeds"

Thisrequiresafullunderstandingofhow theusers’systemsandequipmentarebeingsupported,inadditiontowhatspecifictypes,andhowmanyunits,ofequipmentcomprisetheoverallbase(again,eitheron-premise,Cloud-based,orboth).Forexample,alaptop,tabletormobiledeviceusedinahospitalsetting,oronthefactoryfloor,etc.mayhavesubstantiallydifferentservicerequirementsthanoneusedinaretailorhospitalityenvironment.

Equipmentusedinthree-shiftcyclesinlife-criticalmedicalapplicationsrequiresverydifferentservicethanthesameequipmentusedinanine-to-fiveofficeshift.Theimpactofdowntime,bothscheduledandunscheduled,onprocessthroughput(andrevenuestream)isalsoanimportantconsideration,andshouldbeevaluatedprimarilyonthebasisofeachtypeofequipment'sapplication.Theseareimportantconsiderationsthatyouwillneedtolearnfromeachprospect.

“Afullunderstandingofthewaysinwhichtheprospectorganization,inturn,supportsitscustomerswillalsoplaceyouatanadvantagewithrespecttoshowingthem

thatyou‘get’theirbusinessmodel.”

Afullunderstandingofthewaysinwhichtheprospectorganization,inturn,supportsitscustomerswillalsoplaceyouatanadvantagewithrespecttoshowingthemthatyou“get”theirbusinessmodel– andcanbuildasolutionthatdirectlymeetstheir– andtheircustomers’– needs,requirements,preferencesandexpectationsforservice.

6. "Ifyouunderstandhowyourcustomersaregrowing,yoursolutionshouldgrowalongwiththeminmeetingtheirevolvingneeds"

Ifyouareawareofyourcustomer'splansforgrowth(i.e.,organic,viamergerand/oracquisition,etc.),youwillbebetterableto"tailor"yoursolutionspecificallytothatcustomer'sneeds.Byunderstandingyourcustomers'plansforgrowth,alongwiththeiranticipatedtimetablesforchange,youwillbebetterpreparedtogaugetheexpectedimpactofthosechangesontheirservicesmodel,andsuggestanappropriatelyscalablesolutionthattakestheanticipatedgrowth(ordownsizing)intoconsideration.Ifyoucananticipatethesechangingneeds(andconveyyourunderstandingtoyourprospect),youwillfindyourselfinamuchbetterpositiontoproposeasolutionthatmeetstheirexpectations.

Asmanyindividualindustryservicessegmentaretypicallycharacterizedbyhighlevelsofmarketgrowth;technologyadoption;andprospectsformerger,acquisitionandconsolidation,youmustletyourprospectsknowthatyouunderstandtheirevolvingneedsforfunctionality,featuresandscale,andareabletoconveythatthesolutionwillscalealongwiththeirevolvingneeds.

Asaresult,astrongpartoftheoverallsalesmessageshouldalwaysfocusonthescalabilityaspectsofthesolutionthatis,thatitcankeepupwiththeexpandingneedsoftheorganization– anditscustomers–overtime.

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An SFG℠AnalystsTake

C.OrganizingtoMeetYourCustomers’Needs,Requirements,Preferences&Expectations

Onceyourservicesorganizationfullyunderstandstheneedsandrequirements,expectations,andpreferencesoftheverticalcustomersegmentsthatitsupports,itisonly“halfway”tothepointwhereitcaneffectivelydealwithdecision-makers,andpurchasers,withineachsegment.Assuch,eachprovider’sorganizationalrequirementsbecomeofgreatimportanceintermsoftheirultimateabilitytodeliver therequiredlevelsofservicetotheircustomersineachsegment.

Thereare,however,anothersixrulesforalsoensuringthataservicesorganizationissufficientlypreparedtosupportitscustomersineachofitskeyverticalindustrysegments,asfollows:

1."Designyourserviceportfoliotoreflectafullandfocusedcommitmenttoeachkeysegment,ratherthanonewhichisperceivedasbeingtoogeneralinscope"

Whileyourservicesorganizationmayhavethetalent,infrastructure,andresourcesrequiredtosuccessfullysupportsystemsinallmajorverticalmarkets,theuser'sperceptionofthesecapabilitiesmaybesignificantlyloweriftheyhavenotbeenproperly“packaged”orpromoted.Keyorganizationalcharacteristicsthatcanpromoteyourcommitmenttoeachsegment'sspecificservicesneedsandrequirementsare:

1. Anorganizationalstructurethatisdesignedtosupportindividualproductlines,orgroups,ofindustry-specificapplications(e.g.,ATMs,POS,MRI,CAD/CAM,etcetera);

2. Adedicatedserviceforcetargetedspecificallytoeachmajorverticalmarket(e.g.,bank/financial,healthcare,retail/distribution,etcetera);and

3. Promotionalliteraturethatistargetedspecificallytoeachkeysegment.Aportfoliothatispositionedandpromotedsolelyinglobalorgenericterms(e.g.,"weservicePCs"or"weservicenetworks")willnot conveyaperceptionthatyourorganizationhasafullunderstandingofthespecificneeds,requirementsorapplicationsofaparticularverticalsegment.

2. "Provideafullarrayofdesiredservicestoyourcustomers,andyouwillbecomemuchmoreimportanttothem"

Paststudieshaveshowntheimportanceofbeingabletoprovidecustomerswithafullrangeofintegratedservicesforthevarioussystems,equipmentandapplicationsusedatthecustomersite.Servicesprovidersthatareperceivedtohaveonlynarrowlyfocusedservicescapabilities(e.g.,CTscanners,only;ATMs,only)stillplayanimportantrole,buttendtobepositionedasmerely“oneofmany”necessaryvendors.Theabilitytosupportabroadrangeofbothgeneralandsegment-specificsystemsandequipment(e.g.,CPUsandperipherals,telephony,officeautomationandLANs;aswellasspecificbankingsystemssuchasATMs,POS,cashsettlementsystems,etcetera)willservetomakeyourorganizationevenmoreimportanttoitscustomers.Mostcustomersdonotcarewhetheralloftheseareasofserviceareprovideddirectlybythevendor,orthroughtheuseofstrategicalliancepartners,qualifiedsubcontractorsorotherauthorizedvendors.

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3.“Organizetoreflectthefactthatyouhaveafullunderstandingofyourcustomers'applications,andthatyoucanbefullyresponsivetotheirneeds"

Itisnot onlygoodenoughtounderstandyourcustomers'specificneedsandrequirements;youmustalsounderstandtheprincipalreasonsbehindthem (e.g.,response/repairtimeforcertaintypesofsystems/equipmentthatmaybeespeciallycriticalduetothe“lifeanddeath”natureofamedicalapplication,orthehighmonetarystakesassociatedwithabankingtransaction,etcetera).Inthesecases,thecustomerwillwanttobeassuredthatyourorganizationfullyappreciatestheseverityofitsservicesneedsintermsofitsownperceivedspeedandtimerequirements,aswellaswiththeforesightandavailabilityofcontingencyplansshouldacrisisevolve.Overall,yourcustomerswillbemorepreparedtobelievethatyouareabletodelivertheirrequiredlevelsofresponsiveness,underbothforeseenandunforeseencircumstances,ifyouareorganizedtoreflectthatyouunderstandthereasonsforwhytheyareimportant.

“Overall,yourcustomerswillbemorepreparedtobelievethatyouareabletodelivertheirrequiredlevelsofresponsiveness… ifyouare

organizedtoreflectthatyouunderstandthereasonsforwhytheyareimportant.”

4."Buildupyourcapabilitiestoserviceadditionaltypesofrelatedsystemsandequipmenttoday,toensurethatyouwillgrowalongwiththesegment’sneedsfortomorrow"

Servicesprovidersthatalready havethecapabilitiestoserviceadditionaltypesofrelatedsystemsandequipmentatthecustomersitetodaywillbemoreabletosupporttheircustomersastheygrow,oracquirenewtypesorbrandsofequipment,overtime.Thebestwaytoensurealong-termrelationshipwithyourcustomersistoshowthemthatyoucanalsogrowalongwiththeirneedsastheirinstalledbasesofequipmentcontinuetoexpandandgrowmorecomplex.Itisalsoimportanttobeabletocontinuemeetingtheirneedsastheyaddnewsitesandfacilitiesthroughmergerandacquisition,orthroughotherformsofpartnershipsandaffiliations.

5."Providemultiplelevelsofservicetodaysoyourcustomerswon’thavetolookelsewhereforatotalservicesproviderinthefuture"

Increasingly,customersarelookingforservicesprovidersthatcanprovideafullrangeofrelatedsystems,softwareandapplicationssupportinadditiontotraditionalhardwaremaintenanceandrepair.Manynowalsorequireafullmeasureofprofessionalservicesaspartofatotalsupportsolution.Themostsuccessfulservicesproviderswillbethosethatcanprovidetheircustomerswith"enhanced"levelsofservicesincludingsystemsdesignandengineering;installationandimplementation;systemsandnetworkintegration;softwaremaintenanceandsupport;educationandtraining;andawidearrayofotherrelatedservicesandsupport.Notallusersrequireafullrangeofsupporttoday;but,overtime,manyoftheseadditionalservicesoptionsmaybecomemoreattractivetothem.Thefactthatyourorganizationalreadyhasthemincludedinitsportfoliowillgivesomeofyourcustomersanextrameasureof"comfort"inknowingthatyouwillalsobepreparedtomeettheirexpandingneedsinthefuture.

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6."Makesureyourservicescontractofferseverythingyourcustomerswanttoday,sothatitwillbeeasiertoholdontothemtomorrow"

Customersinthemosthighlydemandingverticalsegmentsareconstantlylookingforcredibleprovidersthatcanactasasinglepointofservicescontact,eitherasadirectprovider,orasaprimecontractor.Mostarelookingforasingleorganizationthatcouldserveasthecatalystthatprovidesthemwiththefulllevelofserviceandsupporttheyrequire.Theabilityofyourorganizationtoofferanintegratedservicescontractthatassuresyourcustomersthat"everythingtheyneedisbothavailable,andundercontrol,atalltimes"representstheultimate"value-in-use"servicesandsupportpackage.

Servicesusersintoday’smarketaregenerallywellawarethattheyrepresentattractivebusinessprospectstoservicesproviders.Further,theyknowthattherearemanyvendorsfromwhichtheymaychoose.Itisessentiallya"buyers'market"forservices.However,themostsuccessfulservicesproviderswillbethosethatcanpositionthemselvesastheprimarysourceofservicesineachoftheirtargetedverticalmarkets,whethertheyperformalloftherequiredservicesandsupportdirectly,ormanageotherproviders aspartofatotalservicessolutionpackage.

Thesuccessfulvendorswillalsoprovideafullarrayofprofessionalservices,typicallyincludingsoftware,trainingandapplicationssupport,aswellasbasichardwaremaintenanceandrepairsupport,whereverpossible.Overall,theymustprovideafullservicecapability,bothtodayandinthefuture,withacommitmenttothetotalunderstandingof,andresponsivenessto,theuniqueservicesneedsandrequirementsoftheircustomersineachmajorverticalsegment.

C.SummaryandConclusions

Insummary,themostsuccessfulsolutionprovidersin2017andbeyondwillbethosethat:

• Understandtheuniquelanguage,terminologyand“buzzwords” thatcharacterizethesegment;• Understandboththecurrentandevolvingneedsofthesegment,ingeneral;andforeachoftheir

individualcustomersandprospects,inparticular;• Areorganizedandstructuredtoaddresstheuniqueneedsofthesegment(i.e.,throughasegment-

specificsalesapproach,supportedbysegment-specificsales,marketingandpromotionalcollateral;• Arepreparedtogrowalongwith,oraheadof,theoverallgrowthoftheprospect;• Arepreparedto"partner"withtheircustomersinordertoensurethatalloftheirservicesgoalsand

objectivesarebeingmet.

ThemostsuccessfulFSMsolutionproviderswillbethosethatcanworkaspartnerswiththeircustomers–andthatpartnershipmustbedevelopedfromtheinitialdealingswiththeprospect,andcarriedoutthroughallsuccessiveinteractionsduringthecourseoftheentiresalescycle.

Themainkeytosuccess,however,willbetheabilitytoshowyourprospectsthatyoutrulyunderstandtheirneedsandrequirements(i.e.,you“get”it),andthatyoucanofferanFSMsolutionthatsupportsalloftheirgoals,objectives,customersatisfactionandretention,andfinancialtargets.

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AboutTheAuthor AboutStrategiesForGrowth℠

BillPollockisPresident&PrincipalConsultingAnalystatStrategiesForGrowth℠(SFG℠),theindependentresearchanalystandservicesconsultingfirmhefoundedin1992.

Previously,BillservedasPresident&ChiefResearchOfficer(CRO)atTheServiceCouncil;VicePresident&PrincipalAnalyst,headingupAberdeenGroup’sServiceManagementPractice;andManagingAnalyst,ServicesIndustryatGartner.

In2015/16/17,Billwasnamed“OneoftheTwentyMostInfluentialPeopleinFieldService”byFieldServiceNews(UK);oneofthe“Top10PeopleEveryFieldServiceProShouldFollow”byFieldServiceDigital;oneofCapterra’s“20ExcellentFieldServiceTwitterAccounts”;andoneofCoresystems’“Top10FieldServiceInfluencerstoFollow”.

Billhasalsohadmorethan350articles,columnsandfeaturespublishedontopicsincludingFieldServiceManagement(FSM),ServiceLifecycleManagement(SLM),CustomerRelationshipManagement(CRM),WarrantyChainManagement(WCM),ReverseLogistics,AugmentedReality(AR),theInternetofThings(IoT)andothersforleadinginternationalservicespublications.

HewritesmonthlyfeaturearticlesforFieldServiceNews,FieldServiceDigital,andFieldTechnologiesOnline,andisaregularcontributortoWarrantyWeek andotherservices-relatedpublications.

Billmaybereachedat+(610)399-9717,orviaemailatwkp@s4growth.com.Bill’sblogisaccessibleatwww.PollockOnService.com,andviaTwitter@SFGOnService.

StrategiesForGrowth℠(SFG℠)isanindependentresearchanalystandadvisoryconsultingfirmthatsupportsservicesorganizationswithafullrangeofstrategic,marketing,businessplanningandconsultingservices.

Duringthepast25+years,SFG℠hasconsultedtomorethan300clientorganizationsaroundtheglobe.Theseengagementshaveinvolvedstrategicservicesplanning,marketresearch/customsurveys,thoughtleadershipcontentdevelopmentandmarketoutreachsupport,customerneeds&requirementsanalyses,customersatisfactionmeasurement&trackingprograms,businessintelligencegathering,verticalmarketsegmentation,servicesassessmentsandthedevelopmentofstrategicrecommendationsforimprovingserviceperformanceandcustomerretention.

SFG℠’sthoughtleadershipcontentdevelop-mentservicesincludeWhitePapersandAnalystsTake reports;Webinars,ghost-written/publishedarticles,datasupportforInfographics,guestBlogposts,expertinterviews,UserGroupkeynotepresenta-tionsanddevelopmentofWebsitecontent.

TheoriginalSFG℠ websiteisnowarchived,andhasbeenrebrandedaswww.PollockOnService.com.However,previouslypublishedarticlesandwhitepapersarestillaccessiblefordownloadatwww.s4growth.com.

©2017StrategiesforGrowth℠Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthematerialprotectedbythiscopyrightmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,broadcastingorbyanyothermeanswithoutwrittenpermissionfromStrategiesforGrowth℠.Youshallnotdisplay,disparage,diluteortaintourtrademarksandservicemarksoruseanyconfusinglysimilarmarks,oruseourmarksinsuchawaythatwouldmisrepresenttheidentityoftheowner.AnypermitteduseofourtrademarksandservicemarksinurestothebenefitofStrategiesforGrowth℠.Allothertrademarks,servicemarksorregisteredtrademarksappearingontheseStrategiesforGrowth℠ pagesarethetrademarksorservicemarksoftheirrespectiveowners.

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