Decision mapping helps land a major deal for a specialty chemical company.
Situation
Our client was a specialty chemical division of a large chemical company. They were highly skilled in in the fabrication of complex reagents used in drug manufacture. The client learned that a particular pharmaceutical company would need a particular reagent in the manufacture of a new drug.
Unfortunately, the procurement department at the target pharmaceutical company was still chaotic and disorganized after a merger with another firm – so our client couldn’t be sure that they were talking to the people who could make clear decisions about sample reagent purchases . Finding the right people was made more difficult because each contact at the target company tended to position themselves as the real decision maker for reagent purchases.
Unfortunately, the procurement department at the target pharmaceutical company was still chaotic and disorganized after a merger with another firm – so our client couldn’t be sure that they were talking to the people who could make clear decisions about sample reagent purchases . Finding the right people was made more difficult because each contact at the target company tended to position themselves as the real decision maker for reagent purchases.
Techniques Used
Working with client personnel, Bennion conducted research to determine how the target’s decision processes had changed with the acquisition of the new firm – and what the “real” procurement process now was. We then identified target company personnel who were key to the functioning of the new procurement process. Finally, we helped the client profile and then to persuade the target company to purchase enough samples to “lock out” likely competitors during the early phases or “test run” phases of drug manufacture.
Results
New sales: Our client was able to convince their prospect to purchase much larger samples than initially forecast, ensuring that our client was able to secure a leading position as a supplier as their customer moved into full-scale production.
*Company name has been changed to ensure our clients privacy