Commoditize This - Surviving and thriving as a service company in the age of commoditization

by Jon Bauer | at MinneBar 11 | 1:45 – 2:35 in Learn | View Schedule

The sad truth that is virtually every service eventually experiences commoditization - where customers feel any company offering a similar service will get you the same result and you may as well go with the cheapest option.

Technology is no different in this perception, but anyone who has worked in our industry know that the cheapest route is often the fastest path for disaster. We’ve seen how tremendously successful intimate, long-term partnerships can be with clients that allow us to help solve their problems, rather than respond to a 50-page, line-item RFP. How then, do we convince clients, prospects and the general public that it’s worth hiring us over any of the limitless options available?

I’ll be frank. This session will not provide you with a magic bullet that will keep your company afloat during challenging economic times. However, we will discuss strategies that I’ve found effective during my time marketing professional services and how to employ these methods into an ever-changing landscape filled with customers becoming more savvy (and skeptical) by the minute.

The Twin Cities tech landscape is made up of outstanding companies of all shapes and sizes with all manner of expertise and unique skill sets. Let’s talk about how playing to our our individual strengths can keep us in business during the age of offshoring, reshoring, nearshoring and freelancing.

All levels

Jon Bauer

Currently an Integrated Marketing Manager for the Health Care and Manufacturing Industries at The Nerdery, Jon brings a wealth of marketing experience from both the professional service and consumer product industries. He has a long history of explaining complex concepts and processes so that everyone can understand them and communicating with development teams in a way that gets him invited to their LAN parties. Originally from the Twin Cities, Jon spent time in Mankato, Phoenix and Seoul before settling in back in Minneapolis. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications (Public Relations Emphasis) and an MBA from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmarcbauer