Strategy

Set the right impulses right from the start.  

Do you want to become more innovative in a holistic way and also integrate start-up initiatives to keep up with the latest market trends and innovations? Are you still at the beginning with this or have you already taken the first steps?  

We at MRC support you in implementing a clear direction for your innovation approach with the integration of start-up initiatives and in establishing an individual "Setup-To-Win". The use of start-up initiatives in the innovation mix is as individual as your company itself. Therefore, we work together to identify the optimal model to successfully realize your specific objectives with start-up initiatives.  

Many medium-sized companies withdraw disappointed after first cooperations or first investments or commit avoidable mistakes due to lack of experience.MRC supports in overcoming the complexity, avoiding wrong decisions and ensures a capital efficient implementation of the customized model. Thanks to our extensive experience as an investor in the start-up ecosystem and our expertise as a consultancy for growth in the mid-market, we know both the start-up world and the German mid-market. Thus, we know both the challenges in the midmarket and best practices when working with startups and combine both worlds in an efficient and target-oriented way.  

Among other things, we support our clients in:  

• Professionalizing initial engagements: optimizing existing start-up engagements such as collaboration concepts, innovation hubs, intrapreneurship or accelerator units.  
• Establishment of start-up initiatives: identification of the objective, analysis of the organization and strategic planning and implementation of the appropriate model according to the objectives. From the use of start-up services, to cooperation & partnership, to concrete investments.  
• Establishment and expansion of corporate venture capital units: Design, planning and implementation of a customized corporate venture capital unit for the respective medium-sized company with extensive focus on establishing structures for knowledge exchange and long-term sustainability.

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Pricing cannot be separated from the service provided to a customer.Our strategy work focuses on defining the optimal "price-value model" for a product or service portfolio.To do this, we use analytical methods such as conjoint analysis.We use customer surveys to identify value drivers and quantify price elasticities.Based on this, we then translate the logic of a "price-value model" into marketing language - ideally together with the customer's marketing team.This is the only way that marketing, sales and customer service can convincingly deliver on value propositions. To the point, we empower sales to lead value conversations instead of price conversations and keep customer satisfaction high.We usually test our concepts as a part of pilot project in the market.  

In digital commerce/e-commerce, dynamic price adjustments and low-threshold entry offers are a key to business success with extensive product portfolios.From our experience, this measure alone can often achieve revenue increases of 2%-4% with constant volume. We support our customers in conducting product portfolio analyses, defining rules for price points and models, and deploying these in real time using pricing tools. In this way, concrete results of the strategy work can be quickly demonstrated and monetized.

A successful go-to-market strategy is the basis for the economic success of products & services. In our experience, however, this often fails because there is too much focus on features and too little on target customers and benefits. We ensure for our customers that products & services land correctly in the market and that the value proposition is used to position them in a way that promises the greatest growth.    

In our strategy work, for example, we support our customers in developing a validated value proposition that precisely matches the desired target customer. In addition, we use data and proprietary tools to develop pricing models that convey the value of the product while maximizing revenue and margin. In order to prepare the sales team for the new challenges of a new product, the sales toolbox bundles all information required for successful sales in a collaborative and tool-supported manner.

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Digital target picture - setting the course for the future  

What fundamental customer needs do you want to address and what value propositions do you need to offer your customers to still be relevant in 5 years? How can emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence and innovative solution approaches help you deliver on these value propositions?  

We support our customers in formulating a clear target picture, a North Star, which sets the course for the strategy of the future. Completely individually based on the profile and strengths of the company and taking into account the current, technological developments and opportunities. So that the goals, needs and requirements of all stakeholders are met in the future.  

Digital strategy - creating concrete growth potentials & competitive advantages.

How can you use the new technologies emerging as part of ongoing digitization to grow your business and achieve sustainable competitive advantages? Which strategic fields of action arise within your core business and which new business areas are enabled? What strategies and measures are competitors choosing to achieve their goals and leverage new technologies, and what are the implications for your strategic positioning?  

We help you understand the potentials of new technologies for your business in order to make the right decisions today to successfully operate in the market in the years to come.  

Digital Growth & Transformation- Generating value through growth and change.  

For us, digital growth & transformation means increasing your company's value by successfully realizing growth potential based on innovative, technology-supported solutions. This is often accompanied by transformations of the existing business model - stronger or even incremental. With our competence & expertise as well as our proven methodology, we accompany you through all phases of this realization - from the conception of measures to their implementation, from strategy to structure to culture, from management to employees. Our work does not end with the concept paper, we also actively help with the implementation - because our objective is to enable you to independently achieve sustainable success.

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When revising their sales strategy, many companies are guided by the "digital first" motif. This promises efficient sales success - highly automated and data-driven. We think differently. For us, the economic success of our customers comes first - regardless of whether digital or non-digital. In our experience, sales success can generally always be maximized through the interaction of different channels. The rule is often: as much digital as possible and as much non-digital as necessary to maximize business success.  

In our strategy work, for example, we help our clients generate leads in new market segments digitally and translate them into appointments. This is how sales teams become "hunters" (again). In the customer base, we maximize up-sell and cross-sell quotas through the use of telesales. We quantify sales potentials using Big Data modeling and thus build a stable foundation for sales planning.  

Our strategy work answers questions such as:  

• How big are the sales potentials and where are they located?  
• How can I maximize sales success and customer satisfaction at the same time?  
• What is the optimal division of labor in the channel mix and how is it implemented?  
• On which business cases should the best sales people concentrate?  
• How do direct sales and partner sales ideally complement each other?  
• How can I manage channels independently and still realize "one-face-to-the-customer"?

Business model innovations - realizing growth potential.  

Ongoing digitization and emerging technologies are leading to changing customer requirements and increasing competitive dynamics. In this market environment, holistic, customer-centric solutions are becoming a key differentiation factor. As part of the development of innovative business and revenue models, we support you in identifying and developing such solutions with the aim of strengthening your core business and addressing new business areas. Our expertise covers the full end-2-end process: data-based trend & potential analyses are as much a part of our methodology as creative, agile idea generation tools from the innovation & start-up scene; we validate the business models with potential customers and partners - e.g. in the context of pilot projects - and contribute our experience to continuously check plausibility and provide you with a reliable basis for decision-making.

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We help you create business value from your data with a comprehensive data and AI strategy and accompany you on the path to data-driven digital transformation. We recognize the importance of a clear strategy for sourcing and handling data to break through internal data silos and establish a modern, data-driven operating model. With our team of experts, we develop a targeted concept for your company that includes training data for AI and self-learning algorithms and systematically exploits and maximizes the value of your data.  

At a time when artificial intelligence is often used as a buzz word, we understand the real potential of this technology. Our approach aims to unleash the (largely untapped) potential of AI in your business in terms of revenue growth, cost savings and competitive advantage. We provide you with a clear vision of an effective use of AI by jointly developing a target picture, identifying potentials across different departments and planning the necessary organizational changes. By implementing an AI pilot project, we enable your company to benefit from AI-based growth and validate the potential of your data with precision fit.  

With our data and AI strategy, we offer you a holistic solution to drive data-driven decision making and realize the full potential of AI.

Customer Value Management (CVM) is becoming increasingly important in dynamic industries. CVM describes measures to increase customer lifetime value and customer satisfaction while optimizing the use of resources from the very beginning of the relationship between a company and its customers. Today, many companies, both B2C and B2B, still manage their business on the basis of unit or sales figures instead of focusing on the development of customer value and leverage value creation potential.  

The goals of a holistic customer value strategy are:  

1. Increasing customer lifetime value (CLV): The increase in CLV is achieved through targeted personalized measures. These are aimed at increasing revenue per customer, increasing purchase frequency, and extending the duration of the customer relationship. All measures are matched to the customer lifecycle.  
2. Increasing customer satisfaction: In addition to CLV, which focuses on revenue, a high level of customer satisfaction plays a decisive role in customer value management. The Net Promotor Score (NPS), for example, is a measure of how customer satisfaction can be anchored and continuously measured in companies with appropriate ROI-related measures.  
3. Optimizing the use of resources: In CLV in particular, the use of resources per customer (measurable, for example, via cost-per-order) must be taken into account. Companies should define for which customer segments how much time and budget should be invested. In the case of valuable customers with high CLV potential, it could make more sense to invest more resources than in the case of customers with low CLV potential.  

In addition to setting goals, a holistic customer value strategy also includes defining clear governance structures, suitable platforms, and effective processes. The customer value strategy forms the basis for successful customer value management.

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