Learning Objectives:

• Why there is pressure on supply chain trading partners to collaborate rather than be adversarial.
• Why customers are the source of shareholder wealth creation for suppliers.
• How to measure and manage supplier, product, channel, and customer profitability.
• Why as differentiation from product advantages is reduced or neutralized due to commoditization, then service level differentiation matters, and the customer relationship grows in importance as a competitive advantage.
• How to shift the mindset from growing sales to growing profitable sales and to view customers as investments like in a stock portfolio to seek higher ROIs – return on customers (ROC).
• How to consider influencing a company’s suppliers’ suppliers and customers’ customers – second tiers and above.