2. The Marriage Metaphor
âąâŻ The marriage or marital metaphor arose
from three consultative projects completed
in 1989-1990, all done with manufacturers
selling B2B. Reference: Joseph Sperry 21/1/1993
âąâŻ This has been adapted as metaphors to
describe five possible states of marriage that
could equally apply to business relationships
today.
3. One Night Stand Theory
!⯠Manufacturer and customer enter
into a one to one relationship
encounter that does not last long
!⯠Low involvement and commitment
!⯠Little loyalty
!⯠Sometimes can lead to neurotic
relationships
!⯠All things must pass âGeorge
Harrisonâs first solo album after
Beatles break-up.
4. Courtship Theory
!⯠Early stages of building
manufacturer customer
relationship
!⯠Getting to know each other
!⯠Building trust and commitment
!⯠Relationship building is a
costly procedure - not to be
entered into lightly
5. Marriage Theory
!⯠Both manufacturer and customer
are ready for commitment.
!⯠Good fit between both
manufacturers and customers
strengths, weaknesses and
expectations.
!⯠Relationship has
"⯠Trust
"⯠Communication
"⯠Commitment
"⯠Common Goals
"⯠Incentives
6. Retention Theory
!⯠Both manufacturer and
customer have shared goals
!⯠Adaptive to each others
needs.
!⯠High levels of trust and
commitment
!⯠Positive and frequent
communication exchange
between both parties to
resolve indifferences and
conflicts that may arise.
7. Separation Theory
!⯠Manufacturer and
customer infrequent
communication
exchange.
!⯠Blame game â âIts your
fault not mineâ
!⯠Real or imaginary
conflicts take hold.
!⯠Lack of trust and
commitment to resolve
conflicts.
8. You are welcome to contact Nigel Bairstow at B2B
Whiteboard your source of B2B Asia / Pacific
marketing advice
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nigel-bairstow/6/41b/726
http://twitter.com/#!/b2bwhiteboard