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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "MKT 365"
COURSE NAME: "Industrial Marketing"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Anna Fiorentino
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: MKT 301
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The objective of this course is to expose students to the environment of business-to-business (B2B) marketing from a global perspective, with emphasis on how it differs from the consumer (B2C) marketing context. Concepts, models and analytical tools are studied in the areas of business-to business marketing analysis and strategy; managing business-to-business marketing processes; and putting business-to-business marketing into practice.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This is a course of "Marketing to Business Customers". Nearly half of the world's economic exchanges take place between businesses. Nearly as much as the economic value of exchanges between businesses and consumers. A well-rounded marketer must learn how to strategize and execute marketing towards this half of the world, that generates so much value, so many jobs, and requires significantly different marketing concepts, skills, tactics and practices.

To bridge this gap, this course will bring you through a fascinating journey of understanding the complexity of business buying behavior, business needs, and how Marketing is crucial in supporting Sales and make a difference in the success of Industrial and B2B companies.

The overarching objective of the course is to provide the theoretical backbone of today’s Industrial/Business to Business Marketing, complemented by tools and practices can be used in day-to-day management, as well as real-world experience and examples from my 25 years of work across companies.

The course content is organized around the following areas:

In the first one, we will explore Business marketing and the differences vs. Customer marketing. This section includes an in-depth understanding of business customers, their needs, their complex decision making process, how to segment and target them. All of this requires skills that are never covered in any B2C marketing course.

The second one will cover a fundamental aspect of Industrial/B2B marketing: the alignment between Marketing and Sales. It is a deep dive into the real world of supporting Sales in closing deals. This relationship is nowhere as strong as in Industrial/B2B contexts. The section will bring you through a learning journey of understanding Sales Enablement by marketing, the Sales pipeline, the key activities that Marketing does to support Sales through every step of the sales process, from generating lists of potential customers, to customer qualification, to deal closure.

The third section will cover key, specific tactics of Industrial/B2B marketing such as content marketing, Account-Based Marketing, effective use of email and social media, importance of events to generate leads for Sales. We will also talk about data-drive marketing, measurement of the success of marketing efforts, which will be explored in further details in the following section.

The final section will look into the future and investigate the global nature of Industrial/B2B marketing and its evolutions as well as how new technologies will impact the future of Industrial/B2B Marketing.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

- Understand the characteristics of B2B marketing vs B2C Marketing

- Understand challenges and opoportunities in B2B Marketing

- Understand business buyer's behavior and decision making process

- Analyze the elements of a B2B marketing strategy

- Understand the fundamental role of B2B marketing in the sales process

- Understand key B2B marketing tactics and use of channels

- Learn how to use analytics in B2B marketing

- Understand the global context and the emerging trends of B2B marketing
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Business to Business Marketing Management: A Global Perspective Alan Zimmerman, Jim BlitheRoutledge9780367757946     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Instructor slidesAnna FiorentinoNot published-   

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Omnichannel in B2B Sales: The new normal in a year that has been anything butHarrison, L., Plotkin, C., Reis, S., Stanley , J.McKinsey&Company report, March 2021   
Communication, interactivity and satisfaction in B2B relationshipsMurphy, Micah and Sashi, C.M.Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 68, 2018   
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
First graded test, individualShort essays: 4 open-ended questions, paper based20%
Class ParticipationStudents are required to actively participate to class discussions with ideas, answers, questions, comments, personal viewpoints, findings, and to teamwork with honest, punctual, collaborative contribution equally distributed across the team. Voluntary participation in the Industry Research and Company Research organized by the Library will be a plus. Use of the forum will also a plus.20%
Final exam/project: analysis of a case studyFinal exam: depending on number of participants: in teams or individually, students will be required to solve a case study with pre-determined questions. The expected end products are: 1) a power point/pdf presentation of 5-6 pages to be presented in class; a paper with more detailed answers (1000-1200 words, font Calibri 12, single-spaced). Please note: in case of teamwork, the final grade will include a peer review. The work (presentation + its discussion in class, paper) will account for 75% of the grade; the peer review will account for 25% of the grade.35%
Mid-term exam, individualShort essays: 6 open-ended questions, individual, paper-based, answers no longer than 15 lines25%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
An attendance of at least 85% of classes is required. If the student totals more than 4 unexcused absences (absences for reasons approved by the Dean are considered as excused absences), students won't be able to take the final assessment and will lose all points linked to it.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Week 1: Jan 16 and 18

Introduction to the course and to B2B / Industrial Marketing
Opportunities and challenges in B2B / Industrial Marketing 

                                       

Week 2: Jan 23 and 25

The role of B2B Marketing and key elements of a B2B/Industrial Marketing Strategy

Understanding Business Customers: Segmentation, targeting and positioning

 

Week 3: Jan 30, Feb 1

 Understanding the B2B Customer: needs, motivations and behaviors part 1   

Understanding the B2B Customer: needs, motivations and behaviors part 2

 

Week 4: Feb 6 and 8            

Understanding Sales, the notion of "most important customers" and the relationship between Marketing and Sales

Review before first graded test 

First graded test (Feb 8)

                                                       

Week 5: Feb 13, 15 and 16          

Sales enablement by Marketing along the Sales Pipeline

Exercise: building a scoring model

 

Week 6: Feb 20 and 22

Sales enablement by Marketing along the Sales Pipeline - part 2

                                                                                     

Week 7: Mar 5 and 7

"Golden rules" for best practice Sales enablement and short case study

Mid-Term exam (March 7)

 

Week 8: Mar 12 and 14

Data-driven B2B marketing
Introduction to Marketing tactics

 

Week 9: Mar 19 and 21

Content Marketing & marketing collaterals

Social Media Marketing

 

Week 10: Mar 26 and 28

Email Marketing and Search Engine Optimization

Events, Sponsorships and Industry Associations

 

Week 11: Apr 2 and 4          

Account-based Marketing
Researching a key Account context, pain points and opportunities: class reading and discussion

Week 12: Apr 9 and 11       

Briefing on the final case: Teaology 
B2B in a global context 
Emerging digital and tech trends in B2B marketing

Week 13: Apr 16 and 18
Final Q&A session on the final case study

Key take-aways from the course

Course feedback 

First set of presentations of final case study (Apr 18)

 

Week 14: Apr 23

Second set of presentations of final case study (Apr 23)

 

Finals week: feedback on case study (online)