Understanding customer value requires deep engagement. The traditional approach of checking in with salespeople occasionally to see what retailers are thinking and doing is no longer enough. A much higher level of sophistication—and real commitment—is required. Almost twenty years ago, P&G began integrating staff from marketing, manufacturing, logistics, finance, IT, and human resources into customer teams in customer business development (P&G’s sales function). These teams were colocated near P&G’s largest customers, like Walmart, Target, and Tesco. The post-1999 focus on core customers—those
...more
