Client description: A lubricant division of a global integrated oil company

Practice area: Market Research and Analysis; Strategic Positioning and Planning

Geographic scope: US

Industries involved: Oil and gas, petrochemicals, steel, aggregates, mining, power generation, and manufacturing

Services applied: Market opportunity study; market segmentation; competitive intelligence; go-to-market strategy

Business challenge: This leading industrial lubricants manufacturer wanted to target 5 sectors in which it had very little penetration and develop a go-to-market strategy and sales force segmentation plan.

Methodologies: A combination of face-to-face and telephonic qualitative IDIs with end-users in all sectors, plus interviews with competitors’ sales and distribution representatives. We performed analysis against a market attractiveness model and facilitated a strategic planning session with the client’s sales and marketing team.

The result: A decision to focus on only 3 of the 5 sectors; a high level go-to-market strategy for these three sectors, and a sales force segmentation plan. The company was able to significantly increase its market share in the target sectors over the next 24 months.