The Definitive Guide to B2B Digital Transformation: How to Drive Uncommon Growth by Prioritizing Customers over Technology

Sustained, profitable growth is increasingly uncommon for B2B companies as they face changing market dynamics and the threat of digital disruption.

This book guides B2B leaders along a step by step path to uncommon growth through three transformative shifts:

• The Digital Selling Shift to digital demand generation,
• The Digital Customer Experience Makeover to digital customer engagement,
• The Digital Proposition Pivot to data-powered, digital solutions.

The book is informed by the work of Fred Geyer at Prophet, a leading digital transformation consultancy, and Joerg Niessing at INSEAD, a global standard-bearer for business education. Rich case studies from Maersk, Michelin, Adobe, and Air Liquide with best practices from IBM, Salesforce.com, thyssenkrupp, and scores of leading B2B companies illustrate how putting customers at the heart of digital transformation drives uncommon growth. Fred and Joerg map the route from customer insight to in-market implementation for each transformational shift in four steps:

• Where to Play - Identify top customer growth opportunities,
• How to Win- Build the strategy to win customer preference,
• What to Do - Effectively deliver the strategy,
• Who is Needed - Assemble the team to make it happen.

The two biggest barriers to successful digital transformation, effectively using customer data and enabling employees, are addressed by outlining a clear path to navigate forward based on best practices from other leading companies.

The guide has won rave reviews from B2B leaders:
"This book illuminates the secret sauce of digital transformation in the B2B space" – David Aaker, renowned brand strategist and bestselling author

"A thought-provoking exploration of three crucial transformational shifts for B2B companies" – Vincent Clerc, CEO, Maersk Ocean & Logistics

"This is a great guide to applying best practices to the formidable challenge of digital transformation in complex markets and supply chains."– Dr. Lars Brzoska, Chairman of the Board of Management, Jungheinrich AG.

"By providing case examples and step by step assistance in determining where to play, how to win, what to do and who to win, this book fulfilled my need for inspiring and pragmatic transformation guidance" – Lindy Hood, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Zurich Financial North America

About the Authors

Fred Geyer is a senior partner at Prophet. He has helped B2B clients in the financial services, healthcare, and technology industries – including Zurich Financial, AXA, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices, Medtronic, and Avery Dennison – undertake customer-first transformations and address the challenges of digital disruption. Fred’s prior experience as president of Crayola Canada and chief marketing officer, North America, of Electrolux Floor Care, enables him to bring a practitioner’s perspective to making digital transformation work in the real world.

Joerg Niessing is a member of the faculty at INSEAD and is a globally recognized expert and strategic advisor on digital transformation, digital strategy, customer-centricity, and data analytics. He is the program director of INSEAD’s flagship programs “B2B Marketing Strategies” and “Leading Digital Marketing Strategy.” Over the past five years, Joerg has engaged with more than 3,000 executives from a wide range of companies in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia, including Google, Kone, Roche, Maersk, Michelin, IBM, Thales, PwC, and Kion. Joerg’s prior experience as head of Prophet’s Insight and Analytics practice, along with his previous work as a marketing data scientist, inform his insights on ensuring that digital transformations are data-driven, customer-centric, and drive sustainable growth.