01948nas a2200217   4500008004100000022001400041245010600055210006900161260004200230300001000272490000700282520126600289653000801555653002501563653002201588653001701610653002901627653002201656100002201678856003001700       2020                        eng d  a1927-032100aCompany Offers to Meet the Needs of Business-to-Business Customers: Customer Strategy and Orientation0 aCompany Offers to Meet the Needs of BusinesstoBusiness Customers  aOttawabTalent First Networkc03/2020  a79-870 v103 a<Companies develop and refine their market offer by creating new products for current and potential customers. Customer-focused research and development (R&D) is expected to shorten the time to market, improve cash flow, and reduce risks. It considers both customer strategy as well as customer orientation. In practice, this means that customer strategy directs current and potential customers to a company's offering, while customer orientation allocates R&D activities to meet customers' needs. This paper contributes to customer-driven R&D research by investigating whether a company's offer meets customer needs that can be supported by customer strategy and orientation. Specific focus is given to companies operating in business-to-business (B2B) markets. The paper is based on an analysis of quantitative survey data from 292 respondents representing key account management and sales management professionals in Finnish firms across several industries. The findings indicate that offer meeting customers' needs are supported by customer strategy and orientation. The paper provides guidelines on how companies can align their research and development activities to address both existing customers as well as current and potential needs and requirements.10aB2B10acustomer orientation10acustomer strategy10aMarket offer10aresearch and development10avalue proposition1 aMäntyneva, Mikko  utimreview.ca/article/1339