Digital Transformation challenges many B2B IT Companies, even though it is a great opportunity for growth. This presentation sums up some best practices we at DocVille have experienced to work well for our customers from the Information Management and ECM industry.

1. 10 Best Practices for B2B IT Companies in times
of Digital Transformation
Dr. Heiner van den Berg, Senior Analyst, www.DocVille.net
Brussels, 19/05/16

2. 1. Establish a Culture of Trust &
Collaboration
2. Use the Business Model
Canvas©
3. Have your Go-to-Market Model
right
4. Setting clear Goals & Objectives
5. Support the Customer Journey
6. Have a clear plan for Lead &
Demand Generation
7. Use Human Centered Design for
your Product Development
8. Support Mobile & Cloud First
9. Focus only on a few Verticals
10. Have a clear Sales Management
and Sales Process in place
© DocVille
Summary

3. • Establish and foster a culture of trust
and collaboration – the fundament of
successful change in rapidly changing
evnvironments
– Have a clear Vision & Mission – you
can‘t under-communicate these
– Define your values and the way you
work
– Reward collaboration – don‘t blaim for
failure, but for not asking for help
Company Culture
© DocVille

4. 2. Use a tool like the Business Model
Canvas© and keep it up-to-date
– Focus on the market fit (Value Proposition
matches Customer Segments)
– Focus on the customer side (right half of
canvas) in growing markets and markets
you enter, focus more on the left half in
saturated markets (cost, Key activities &
resources & partners)
– Test your business canvas with a compelling
Positional Statement
Strategy
© DocVille

5. 3. Have your Go-to-Market model right
– Clear definition of customer segments
– Direct vs. Indirect
– If indirect
• Role of partner
• Ideal partner profile
• Partner value proposition
• In hybrid sales models clear segmentation of
customer segments
– Build a trusting ecosystem of alliance (key)
partners
– Be clear about how you gain, retain & grow
your customers
Strategy
© DocVille

6. 4. Set clear Goals & Objectives for all
relevant activities
– Use a methodology to track and review
on where you are (e.g. Hoshin
methodology, Balanced Score Card, etc.)
– Depending which industries you are in,
an Integrated Management System (QM,
Information Security, Environmental,
etc.) might be helpful
Strategy Execution
© DocVille

7. 5. Have a plan with goals & objectives
for Demand & Lead Generation
– Website Design
– SEM/SEO
– Email Marketing
– Social Media
– Events
– Content
Marketing
© DocVille

8. 6. Support the customer journey at
each touching point
– At the core your website is representing
what your company stands for
– Support the customer journey with the
right content for each stage
– Have a clear Social Media strategy
Marketing
© DocVille

9. 7. Use Human Centered Design
methods to figure out what your
customers need and why (and what
they are willing to pay for)
– First test on paper Problem-Solution Fit
– Leverage agile methodologies in SW
development & project management
– For new products focus on Minimum
Viable Product (MVP) and test the
Market Fit
Product
Management
© DocVille

10. 8. Support Mobile and cloud first,
where ever possible and
meaningful.
– Look for alliance partners to
complement your value proposition (or
go-to-market approach)
Product
Management
© DocVille

11. 9. Focus on one or two verticals or
horizontals (i.e. customer segments)
– Build & demonstrate domain
knowledge
– may be focus only on one vertical in
the beginning
– Adress adjacent verticals over time or
with partners
– If selling business applications, make
sure you are selling to business leaders
Sales Strategy
© DocVille

12. 10.Have a clear sales management and
sales process defined
– For complex solutions train and
implement an appropriate Solution
Selling Methodology
– Make sure the process is transparent
and followed
– Have a CRM system in place that
supports your strategy (both sales &
marketing)
Sales Execution
© DocVille

13. • DocVille is a networking & exchange
initiative for executives from the
international Information Management
(IM) ecosystem.
• In addition DocVille’s trusted advisors
offer advisory services. We are no
generalist Management Consultants but
called in as Market Experts to advise
business owners and senior executives
in need of validating their ideas and
developing new growth strategies in the
Information Management markets.
About
© DocVille 2016

14. heiner.vandenberg@docville.net
Skype: heiner_vandenberg
Twitter: @hvdbx
www.docville.net
Thank you!