When considering additional services, company managers should not be limited
to traditional after-sales services such as installation of equipment and training of the
personnel. Additional services may also include extended technical services:
subsequent equipment upgrades, waste disposal, routine and maintenance services; as
well as business services: consulting, financial services and outsourcing. The
introduction of additional services contributing to the success of the customer, will
allow companies to attract new consumers, improve relations with the existing ones,
and also get additional profit (Wang, 2017; Maex, 2012).
Companies can gain a competitive advantage by focusing their attention on the
business needs of their customers. The point is that the creators of technologies should
know the business of their customers better, have full information about it, working
closely with them to understand how they can contribute to the completion of their
business tasks. For example, Cummins Engines – American manufacturer of
component parts for the main products – sends a team of employees to the end users of
their products in order to find out what additions or changes could increase the
consumer value of their components (Cummins, 2018). Using this approach, the
company improves its position as a supplier of these products in negotiations with its
direct customers - the producers of the main products.
As we have already noted above, decisions on acquiring a new technology in a
large organization are usually made by a target group of specialists directly involved
in the buying process. However, in some cases, the purchasing decision may be
influenced by persons who are not related to either purchases, or to the technology
itself (Iain, 2010) – Self-Directed; Team Leaders; and Strategic Sellers. Consequently,
companies need to identify a key person who, within a large organization, can influence
the decision to purchase.
For example, one of the divisions of Philips-company has significantly increased
sales of its lamps for industrial production, shifting the focus from the target group of
buyers to other professionals interested in this product. Traditionally, sales
professionals were focused on corporate purchasing managers, who typically chose
products based on price and service life. As a result, all the competition in this industry
was built around improving these two parameters. Having studied the interests and
requirements of other company employees, including CFOs and PR managers, the
manufacturer's specialists concluded that the price and service life of their products did
not take into account the full cost of production. Since the products contained toxic
mercury, consumers faced high costs for the disposal of waste products. As it turned
out, purchasing departments never took into account these expenses. Thus, Philips has
developed environmentally friendly lamp Alto, for the promotion of which the
influence of financial directors and PR managers of future customers has been used.
Having created Alto, the Philips-company reduced the total cost of the product
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