Three Dogs, Inc., a wholesaler of bar equipment, has been in business for ten years but sales have leveled off. It has a very loyal customer base, but the board of directors is afraid that if it does not continue to gain new clients, it will eventually be pushed out of business by the competition. Three Dogs maintains an active email database and sends notices of discounts and special pricing to clients on a regular basis and has an excellent loyalty program. It provides excellent customer service and receives excellent ratings on Yelp and other business rating sites. It would like to reach more retail businesses to market directly to them. If it could pick up 12 new clients a year for five years, and retain them, it would meet its objectives. What business model should Three Dogs use?

Since this is a typical B2B example of a business having a steady customer base, but having trouble reaching them, the trouble is probably in the sales channels. Customer service and product quality is surely fine, since they receive great ratings and maintain a good loyalty program.

However, they have trouble converting leads to customers. In B2B settings, this is improved with sales people, an essential form of direct sales. Advertising and similar promotion channels are not so much used when it comes to B2B. Instead, sales people reach out to the customer directly and showcase the product portfolio.