ABB is a Global Supplier of Automation Systems and Services

Background

In 2006 ABB US Field Service’s strategy is to achieve significant growth targets by selling bundled service solutions that have a clearly defined ability to create business value.

 

Sales Challenges

The sales people must position their services to senior management and develop business cases, both practices they are not accustomed to. Further, the marketing team was working to define new solutions and their value proposition. The marketing work had to be aligned with the sales strategy.

Solution

The need to ensure alignment between sales and marketing required a series of interviews with key ABB executives and members of the service sales team. During this time Pretium also helped the marketing team become much stronger at positioning their service solutions as addressing business problems of their clients, while ensuring the approach was consistent with Pretium’s Value Assessment Methodology that was to be implemented. The customized workshop that resulted from this work was delivered to a cross functional group of Service Account Managers, marketing and operations managers in 2Q, 2006.

To ensure the improvements documented below continue within ABB, Pretium continues to reinforce and coach the methodology through periodic web meetings and opportunity management.

 

Results

In the weeks that followed the implementation of Pretium’s Value Assessment methodology, ABB has been reporting great success in their ability to have meaningful executive dialogue, create business cases that describe value for the customer and win more business. The following two examples are typical.

 

ABB Wins Order with Large Ethanol Producer

ABB did not have relationships with a large ethanol producer. ABB’s Service Account Manager, SAM, understood that calling on executive management was the best way to introduce ABB to the company but needed to offer business reasons for the introductory call. In order to earn a meeting with a customer executive, ABB’s SAM appealed to the CEO that there may be ways to address production challenges presented by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the decline of MTBE use. In his meeting the sales person logically linked ABB services to helping the customer manage these mandates. The CEO brought the Plant Manager into the process and subsequently evaluated a business case for an ABB solution. ABB cites that the Value Assessment process saved them time and money, accelerated the sales process, and provided the framework for the business-value discussion they had to have.

ABB Wins Contract with Chemical Manufacturer

This chemical manufacturer had a very large installed base with an ABB competitor. Repeated attempts to upgrade an existing ABB system were unsuccessful and ABB was concerned that their system would be replaced by a competitor. The win came when they changed their approach. Instead of trying to convince the technology managers that they should upgrade, they approached plant executives and developed a business case that explained the value of a service solution. A solution that will continue the return on the existing ABB assets, beyond the point in time the customer expected to keep the system operational. The ABB Service Account Manager said his business case had to focus on risk mitigation and financial results. The business case helped him both communicate with the Plant Manager and helped the customer project team build their internal justification.