Ep. 147: How to Market Productized B2B Services

How to Market Productized B2B Services

The journey for many B2B companies to transition from selling and marketing customized services to productized offerings can be a complex one. When done the right way, productizing services can help a B2B company to scale faster, more effectively, and serve a greater number of clients.

That’s why we’re talking to B2B marketing expert Eisha Armstrong (Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, Vecteris) about how B2B companies can successfully sell and market productized services. During our conversation, Eisha talked about the “7 deadly sins of productization” and how B2B companies can avoid these pitfalls. She also highlighted the challenges to transitioning from a customized to a productized approach and provided us with tips on how to deal with resistance to the productization of B2B solutions.

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https://youtu.be/RxP-n3wE_-Y

Topics discussed in episode

• [1:46] The key challenges of transitioning from selling customized B2B services to productized offerings:
  • Business model transformation
  • Digital transformation
  • Cultural transformation
• [5:18] Eisha explains the spectrum of productization
• [7:57] Eisha’s point of view on generative AI
• [10:29] The 7 deadly sins of productization: The pitfalls that B2B marketers need to avoid
• [14:00] How to deal with pushback on conducting market research for productization
• [16:39] How to effectively market and sell productized B2B solutions:
  • Define the market segment and target buyers
  • Develop the right packaging and pricing
  • Create your marketing strategy and tactics
  • Identify the right sales channels
  • Make sure that the product is renewable
• [22:57] How to get management buy-in to invest in marketing for productized B2B solutions
• [26:30] Eisha’s actionable tips:
  • Why do you want to productize?
  • Can you dedicate resources to it?
  • Do you have the capital to invest in it and not see a return for a few years?

Companies and links mentioned

• Eisha Armstrong on LinkedIn
• Vecteris
• Get a free copy of the book: Productize

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Christian Klepp, Eisha Armstrong

Christian Klepp 00:01

Eisha Armstrong is the executive chairman and co-founder of Vecteris and a business leader with expertise in product innovation as well as product portfolio management. She has extensive experience launching new data and information service businesses, building executive education products, advising C-level executives and overseeing data analysis and qualitative research in a recurring revenue model. She is also the author of the Amazon best-selling books Productize: The Ultimate Guide to turning professional services into scalable products, and Fearless: how to transform a services culture and successfully productize. Tune in to find out more about what this B2B marketer’s mission is. This is a show where we help you to question the conventional, think differently, disrupt your industry and take your marketing to new heights. This is your host, Christian Klepp, and today I’m joined by someone on a mission to provide B to B companies with actionable insights, innovation and growth. Eisha Armstrong, welcome to the show.

Eisha Armstrong 01:03

Thank you, Christian. It’s so great to be here.

Christian Klepp 01:06

I’m really looking forward to this conversation. I mean, we already had a great conversation previously, but, man, this one is really gonna hit the nail on the head, because it’s so relevant to a lot of B2B companies out there, and B2B marketers. So without further ado, let’s just jump right in.

Eisha Armstrong 01:21

Great, great.

Christian Klepp 01:24

So short of staining the obvious, you’re an expert when it comes to productization, and go to market solutions for B to B professional services firms. So for this conversation, ...