STRATEGY
Companies are faced with an almost inexorable rise in the complexity, dynamics, interconnectedness, and the ensuing overall uncertainty of their markets. This applies to big business and medium-sized enterprises alike, in the global arena yet undoubtedly also in national or limited international strategies. It applies right across all industries, and it has long since become one of the 'laws of nature' in management. Apples fall to the ground and market environments grow ever-more difficult.
The demands made on good corporate strategies and the requirements of good strategy work within companies are likewise substantially increased. Flexibility and the ability to react quickly and purposefully to changing market and competitive demands are becoming more and more important. But how do you stay on course? What is the beacon of light toward which a company can direct its strategy in stormy times?
Our answer is not primarily "shareholder value", but "market focus" instead, which entails understanding customers as the main crunch factor in permanently successful corporate management. Companies that use smart customer insights to consistently align their product and service portfolio toward their target groups and the benefit they expect are demonstrably more successful in the market. They realize better margins, keep their customers loyal for the long term, and achieve superior returns as long as they manage their costs efficiently in addition to their top line.
KEYLENS has spent many years helping companies along the path to greater market and customer focus; ideally companies that approach business from a primarily procurement, production, distribution or similar focus and recognize the potential that lies in continuously and consistently viewing and managing their company from the customer's perspective. Our consulting work in the field of strategy therefore focuses on the top line, the profit side of the income statement.
Some of the aspects our consultancy focuses on:
- Growth strategies
- Sales-up programs
- Transformation
- Change management
- Structure/process optimization
SELECTED KEYLENS PROJECT EXAMPLES
Chain of clothing stores
CHAIN OF CLOTHING STORES
Issue:
Repositioning the company
Objective:
Strengthening retail brand profiling as a basis for expanding the customer base in the regional markets
Results:
- We created a knowledge base by means of analyses/market research
- Determined a new positioning with precise definition of customer benefit
- Identified adjustments to be made in all corporate functions, incl. drawing up a business case
- Closely supported the concept implementation with monthly team meetings
KEYLENS success levers:
Extremely pragmatic transfer of know-how from big business to meet the needs of a medium-sized enterprise
Catering and service company
CATERING AND SERVICE COMPANY
Issue:
Customer-centric corporate strategy
Objective:
Consistently focusing more than 300 business locations on a clear customer benefit, thereby realizing uniform and controllable quality standards
Results:
- We took success factors from international benchmarks as a basis
- Created a new platform brand and flagship brands as quality anchors
- Implemented the brand proposition in all performance elements (building/store, assortment, communication, service, employees, pricing, organization/processes, quality assurance, etc.)
- Ensured successful implementation at pilot locations and supported the pilot phase
- Planned the rollout, incl. screening suitable locations
KEYLENS success levers:
Intensive involvement of stakeholders right from the start (store managers, department managers, top management, shareholders, government bodies)
Energy service provider
ENERGY SERVICE PROVIDER
Issue:
Differentiation strategy
Objective:
Improving performance by consolidating the brand portfolio and repositioning the master brand
Results:
- We consolidated six individual brands into one master brand
- Repositioned the master brand from "innovation" to "service"
- Operationalized the new service positioning in all areas of the company (sales, marketing, product management, etc.)
- Formulated a master plan for implementation, with responsibilities and timings
- Supported the implementation, incl. conducting various implementation projects in different company departments
KEYLENS success levers:
Precise identification of the customer perspective through extensive market research to "de-emotionalize" the issue and create a neutral basis for discussion
Last-minute tour operator
LAST-MINUTE TOUR OPERATOR
Issue:
Growth strategy
Objective:
Identifying and evaluating relevant ways of achieving a specific sales threshold; deciding which growth strategy to implement
Results:
- We came up with three different growth strategies, each involving different price point positioning and a discrete mix of offerings
- Ensured a sound foundation of quality for the three strategies based on key market trends
- Evaluated the options in qualitative and quantitative terms (incl. three-year result simulation down to the gross profit and EBITA level)
- Derived the specific implications for implementation in product, marketing, etc.
KEYLENS success levers:
Development of a market model that can be expressed in data form for mapping and simulating different growth levers; pragmatic evaluation and decision in a CEO workshop setting
