Which markets do Isolde and Emanuel target respectively? How do their respective business/revenue models align with their markets?
Isolde sees their company as a B2B company that sells “machines and stuff that the machines use.” To her, the machines can be sold for cheap as long as people keep coming back for the machines. It is the printer/ink or the razor/blade model. Isolde says that their revenue model is “[making] money,” and she plans to do that from the “stuff.” This aligns with her goal of selling tests and machines to other companies.
Emmanuel Geiger shares more about his revenue plans and how it addresses customer needs and other external pressures. Emmanuel’s plan focuses on “flexibility.” He believes that his company is more than just “machines” and “stuff,” though he agrees that both bring in revenue. His plan, though, focused more on the machines. This aligns with his target audience who values the machines more.
What are the pros and perils of “imposing the structure of a single revenue model” vs. “letting [the company] continue on its flexible way”?
Isolde and Emanuel decide to not choose one path over the other. Isolde says that they should be able to shift between and maintain multiple models. Emanuel says that having an either-or choice is “counterproductive” to customer services. They emphasize how “nimble” and “flexible” their dual-strategy team could be.
One con is that it is hard to “select customers or deal with the competitive landscape” without a clear plan. Peter emphasizes how a lack of plan leads to “reactivity” that does not lead to long-term benefit. The second opinion on the case study also echoes this sentiment. It’s hard to be a full team without a coherent plan as teams are not “special forces.”
Pretend that the CEO has decided the department heads must merge their divisions together. As a star PM assigned to mediate this interaction between department heads, how would you scaffold the discussion to ensure a fair merging process?
I would scaffold the discussion by bringing it back to the user. Who do we want to target the most with our product? This would come from data collection on where we could have the most impact socially and financially. Then, we would discuss how to best serve that customer. It’s not a perfect plan, but I think that starting from “ground zero” with customers would help remove egos.
