60 LIMS PROJECTS PART 5 - MARKETING AND SALES INFLUENCES

MARKETING & SALES INFLUENCES

In this fifth post I will review slide 7 & 8 of my LabAutomation 2024 presentation. Vendor marketing & sales, although necessary at some point on the LIMS selection "The Road to Success" can be counterproductive in case its influence gets too severe early on in the selection process. Ideally vendor-input gets to become important from point 6 (of 10) on the "The Road to Success".

Part 4 can be found through the following link:

 https://www.lims-academy.com/blog/60-LIMS-PROJECTS-P4-EXTERNAL-PROJECT-CHALLENGES

Slide 7: Selection influenced by marketing & sales early on in the project.

As already discussed in part 4 of this series, customers that haven't involved an independent LIMS selection consultant-coach, tend to first contact vendors to try to compensate for the internal challenges they face as discussed in part 3.

Often there is limited logic/criteria to why which vendors are contacted first. It can be perceived market leaders, based on marketing messages, that nice salesman/-women they talked to at a seminar/exhibition. The once with the "best" sales and marketing are mostly involved.

The vendors contacted early on by the customer, get a golden opportunity to try to influence the selection process to suit their desired outcome. The one vendor that plays this "marketing & sales game" best will likely come out on top.

Customer's journey to identify their ideal "To-Be" situation, future role of the LIMS & requirements becomes clouded and evolves towards vendor's ideal situation & requirements. Large market-leaders tend to be favored using this approach and new (maybe better functional fit) and smaller vendors tend to struggle to get into the market.

Slide 8: Content-based selection, guided by vendor-neutral consultant-coach

The customer (laboratory) is central and in control of the project. A vendor-neutral consultant guides the customer through all the necessary steps and "shields" them from unwanted marketing/sales influences early in the project. Customer education and building self-reliance is key in the selection process. Decisions are made based on the match with functional and non-functional requirements. The vendor with the best match "wins" the project. Vendor size and marketing/sales skills do not play a decisive role. Quality of service & support and functional capabilities however do play an important role.

The project is only successful after the implementation is completed as planned!

Make sure you put safeguards in place!

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In the next post, I will discuss recommendations for (laboratory) customers.

SO, STAY TUNED!