Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy
As traditional forms of marketing continue to yield diminishing results, business-to-business marketers are seeking new ways to succeed in an evolving global economy. This updated leadership development program exposes you to the industry's best practices across a range of areas, including inbound marketing in Web 2.0, market selection, channel management, customer management, lead generation, product positioning, customer behavior, social media, and branding. By assessing markets, segments, and customers, you will emerge better equipped to develop and implement highly effective business-to-business marketing strategies that drive your organization's bottom line.
What You Can Expect
Focused on enhancing leadership capacity, this targeted leadership development program delves into the unique problems confronting business-to-business marketers. Through interactive lectures, case studies, and business simulations, you will gain new insights and frameworks for mastering marketing challenges and improving results.
Your Course of Study
Specifically designed by HBS faculty, the curriculum explores how our increasingly networked world has redefined the way companies establish and grow business relationships. You will learn how to leverage new technologies, platforms, and techniques—and prepare your business for the future of marketing.
Who Is Right for the Program
Designed for mid- and senior-level managers who are responsible for marketing, product development, and sales efforts, this program also is appropriate for entrepreneurs, purchasing and distribution managers, strategic planners, and managers from marketing support organizations.
What You Can Expect
Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy provides a rare opportunity for a diverse group of executives—those responsible for marketing products and services to nonconsumer markets—to share perspectives, establish new relationships, and gain insights into complex marketing challenges. Equipped with the knowledge and perspectives needed to boost marketing effectiveness, you will return to your organization ready to:
- Develop channel management strategies that optimize your sales and marketing programs
- Improve the effectiveness of your inbound marketing in a Web 2.0 world
- Leverage new technologies to improve top- and bottom-line results
- Respond effectively to the inevitable maturation and commoditization of markets
- Innovate new products and services that add value
- Utilize market segmentation, product line management, and value-based pricing strategies to build customer relationships
- Implement customer management, key account management, and loyalty programs that cultivate a base of long-term customers
- Time your firm's entry into new markets, and its exit from existing ones
How Will My Organization Benefit?
Executive Education programs at Harvard Business School are a significant investment for both you and your organization. Going far beyond the basic transmission of skills and theories, each leadership development program provides applicable lessons in the classroom that can be implemented successfully within your organization. You will acquire a fresh perspective on global business from our groundbreaking curriculum, world-renowned faculty, and an accomplished group of elite peers from around the world.
"Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy helped me find more creative approaches and develop new ways of thinking about business-to-business marketing. I loved the case study methodology, which is highly effective in helping you to retain content. I have already been able to translate the knowledge I gained in class into action and improve some of our offerings for our business partners."
Tamara Crawford, [Program Director], IBM, Worldwide Channel Marketing, U.S.
Your Course of Study
HBS faculty has tailored the program curriculum to address crucial areas that hold serious implications for marketing executives seeking to improve their business-to-business marketing efforts. By examining a range of contemporary issues, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the key elements that comprise an effective marketing strategy. Topics include:
Market Selection, Entry, and Exit
- Evaluating the fit among firm skills, market demand, and product/technology capabilities
- Estimating market size and demand potential
- Developing the appropriate criteria to assess market attractiveness
Customer and Segment Management
- Selecting the right portfolio of customers and linking customer management efforts to profits
- Developing the optimal mix of relationship management strategies, and nurturing relationships through satisfaction and loyalty programs
- Setting and changing prices to maximize the value extracted over customer and product life cycles
- Building flexible and hybrid distribution strategies to minimize channel conflict and serve diverse customer segments
Channel Design and Management
- Developing a channel map to understand the nature of forces that affect the evolution of a channel
- Designing an appropriate customer driven channels-to-market system
- Building and managing a channel system to gain competitive advantage
Leveraging Web 2.0 in Business Markets
- Understanding current business-to-business e-commerce models
- Developing effective inbound marketing techniques
- Developing digital marketing techniques to attract more customers
- Communicating brand messages across multichannel platforms
Strategy and Implementation
- Formulating a marketing strategy that is able to anticipate and adapt to change
- Applying new approaches to assess the performance of marketing investments
- Organizing and energizing the marketing team and cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit
"The Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy program was a confidence builder. By interacting with others at similar levels of responsibility and discovering that we all think along the same lines, I realized that I have been making the right business decisions all along, making this a validating experience."
Diane Yu [VP of Marketing & Sales], U.S. HealthWorks, U.S.
Who Is Right for the Program
Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy is designed for mid- and senior-level managers who have direct or supervisory responsibility for all or part of the firm's marketing and sales efforts.
This program also will be helpful to entrepreneurs, strategic planners, purchasing and distribution managers, as well as executives in firms that function as intermediaries or provide marketing support services to business-to-business marketers.
Participant titles may include, but are not limited to:
- Chief marketing officer
- Director sales and marketing
- Managing director
- Marketing director
- Purchasing manager
- Product marketing manager
- Senior marketing manager
- Vice president of product management and development
- Vice president of sales and marketing
Past Participants Represented:
| Industries | Nationalities | ||||
| 10% | Chem/Pharm/Bio | 10% | Asia/Pacific | ||
| 2% | Communications | 32% | Europe | ||
| 9% | Consumer Products | 8% | Latin America | ||
| 8% | Financial | 50% | North America | ||
| 21% | High Technology | ||||
| 9% | Manufacturing | ||||
| 2% | Nonprofit Services | ||||
| 6% | Other Services | ||||
| 13% | Professional Services | ||||
| 4% | Raw Materials/Energy | ||||
| 2% | Real Estate/Construction | ||||
| 5% | Retail Services | ||||
| 9% | Utilities/Telecommunications | ||||
Participating Companies Have Included:
Accenture, Ltd |
Kimberly-Clark Corporation |
"My classmates were the highlight of the program, because they offered such diverse, informed perspectives. There are dozens of "wow" moments in class when a peer's comment prompts you to look at an issue in a completely different way. The rich business experience of the program participants marks a key difference between an MBA experience and the HBS Executive Education experience. People converge on trivial points more quickly, and heated discussions are reserved for deeper, more complicated points."
Asher Yaqub Khan [Director Value Added Services, International Roaming and Long Distance], Mobilink, Pakistan
Meet the Program Faculty
Harvard Business School Executive Education programs are developed and taught by a core faculty of HBS professors who are skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Faculty leverage their business expertise and field-based research to create new knowledge and enduring concepts that shape the practice of management. The result is a teaching team that exposes participants to multiple perspectives, challenging their thinking on many levels. For more detailed biographies, click on each faculty name.
Das Narayandas, James J. Hill Professor of Business Administration. Senior Associate Dean, Director of HBS Publishing; and member of the Marketing Unit. Faculty chair of the "Advanced Management Program"; and faculty cochair of "Achieving Breakthrough Service."
V. Kasturi Rangan, Malcolm P. McNair Professor of Marketing. Cochair of the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative; member of the Marketing Unit; faculty chair of "Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategies to Create Business and Social Value" and faculty cochair of "Building Businesses in Emerging Markets."
Thomas J. Steenburgh, Associate Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Marketing Unit; and faculty chair of "Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy" and "Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy—Europe."
"The Executive Education experience is second to none. Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy not only gave me a more worldly perspective on business, but also presented new insights into discovering new markets, enhancing existing markets, and leveraging the power of marketing and branding. I departed with a new-found love for wanting to evolve as a professional and continue learning."
Brendan Kane [Director of Business Development], New England Construction, U.S.
Admissions
Because a diverse participant mix is an important part of every HBS Executive Education program, we look for candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds to enrich the learning experience.
Fees, Payments, and Cancellations
The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals.
No payment is necessary until you have been accepted into an HBS Executive Education program. After admission notification, we will send you an invoice via email; payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date. If admission is within 30 days prior to the start of the program, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. Payment is required prior to the program start date. We accept payment by company check, bank wire transfer, or credit card (American Express, MasterCard, Visa). Details are included on the program invoice.
If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Due to program demand and the volume of preprogram preparation, cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.
Requirements
Although there are no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on professional achievement and organizational responsibility. We look for professionals who have demonstrated business talent and leadership potential.
HBS Executive Education programs enrich both participants and their sponsoring organizations, and require full commitment from each party. While participants devote time and intellect to the learning experience, sponsoring organizations agree to relieve individuals of their work responsibilities during the program.
Language Proficiency
We deliberately design our programs to encourage individual growth and to foster productive interaction among participants. For that reason, proficiency in written and spoken English is essential. If English is your second language, or if you have less than one year's experience working in an English-speaking environment, HBS requires a brief statement documenting proficiency in English-language skills, both conversational and written. This may include a list of the English-language certification programs that you have completed; the degrees you have earned at English-speaking colleges and universities; or the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. The Admissions Committee also may request a telephone interview.
Application Process
Program participants must be nominated and sponsored by their current employer. HBS must receive your application and all required documents in order to prepare the application for review by the Admissions Committee.
To apply, you may use our online form or download an application. You also may request a brochure by mail.
If you submit your application online, we will promptly acknowledge receipt of your submission via email. In the unlikely event that an email acknowledgment is not received, please contact the Admissions Committee by email: exed_admissions@hbs.edu, phone: +1-617-495-6226, or fax: +1-617-496-1731.
If you choose to submit a printed application, be sure to type or print legibly and sign your application. Send the application to the address or fax number listed on the form. Mailed or faxed applications are processed and acknowledged promptly upon receipt via email.
Complete Your Application
Please answer all questions thoroughly—the Admissions Committee will only consider completed applications. After reviewing your application and making the necessary edits or corrections, print or copy the application for your records.
Meet the Deadlines
We request applications at least four weeks in advance of the program start date. Early application does not guarantee admission. Programs often fill to capacity, so early application is recommended.
Notification of Acceptance
We acknowledge receipt of all applications and maintain all application information in strict confidentiality.
To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, the Admissions Committee selects a class that balances each participant's experience, the scope of his or her current responsibilities, and the type of organization.
The Admissions Committee begins reviewing applications four months before the start date, and qualified candidates are admitted on a rolling, space-available basis. Once the review process has begun, applicants are notified within three weeks via email regarding Admissions Committee decisions. If your application is received within three weeks of the program's start date, the Admissions Committee will notify you of their decision as soon as possible.
Need help?
For further assistance, contact our client service specialists at: 1-800-427-5577 (outside the U.S., dial +1-617-495-6555).