How to Build Lasting Customer Relationships and Boost Growth
Christoph Senn and Mehak Gandhi propose that B2B companies rethink their growth logic in their recent book Triple Fit Strategy. They lay out the Triple Fit Strategy framework to help companies escape the product-centric mindset and put customers at the heart of their business strategy. Companies using this framework can contribute 10x more to their customers' success and potentially double account values in less than three years.
Summary of Triple Fit Strategy
Senn and Gandhi suggest a bold new way of doing business that shifts the focus from traditional product selling to a fully customer-centric approach. Their Triple Fit Strategy challenges the old "us and them" mentality, encouraging suppliers and customers to collaborate as if they were a single entity. The result? Businesses that grow far beyond what either party could achieve alone.
One Company?
At its core, the Triple Fit Strategy puts customers at the centre of three critical areas: planning, execution, and resources. The strategy revolves around a simple and powerful question: What if we - supplier and customer - were one company?
Drawing on over two decades of research, the authors argue that companies adopting this framework can contribute ten times more to their customers' success while doubling account values in under three years.
Proven Results
This isn't just theory. The book shares lessons from global giants like BASF, GE, Microsoft, and Danish shipping leader Maersk, which used the strategy to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in new opportunities with a New Zealand partner. Backed by a database of over 10,000 cases, the Triple Fit Strategy offers practical tools to bring customers into your company's internal processes, helping to redefine customer relationships, allocate resources wisely, and achieve faster, more meaningful breakthroughs.
Business cases
The book includes real-life business cases from 3M, Agrana, BASF, Best Buy, BMW, Danone, db Audio, DSM, Evonik, Hillebrand Gori, Indicia, Konica Minolta, Maersk, Marriott, MUREX, Natura, P&G, Sonos, Thermo Fisher, Unilever, Vodafone, and WMF/Schaerer.
For Companies Without Large Budgets?
Senn and Gandhi outline three practical steps for businesses without a large budget for external consultancy:
1. Create a total business view by analysing business relationships within the Triple Fit canvas.
2. Understand internal politics and identify which stakeholders on both sides will support your case.
3. Foster a mindset of strategic alignment between supplier and customer.
For businesses ready to step away from the "product-first" mindset, this book is a game-changer.
See more about the book here.
About the Authors
Christoph Senn
Christoph is Adjunct Professor of Marketing at INSEAD and founder/CEO of Valuecreator, a global provider of B2B growth tools and programs. He has taught at leading institutions such as Columbia Business School and the University of St. Gallen. His work has been published in journals, including California Management Review and Harvard Business Review.
Mehak Gandhi
Mehak is Head of Research & Training at Valuecreator, designing B2B growth accelerator programs and sales strategies for global companies. Her experience spans industries, having worked with Allianz, Maersk, Schindler, Thermo Fisher, and others. She applies the Triple Fit tools to achieve strategic alignment and growth for her clients.
TRIPLE FIT STRATEGY: How to Build Lasting Customer Relationships and Boost Growth by Christoph Senn and Mehak Gandhi. Published by Harvard Business Press, ISBN No: 9781647827144
Billy Linehan
Billy Linehan is an experienced consultant and advisor, currently serving as Partnership Director at Target Integration, where he leads the Business Connector programme. This initiative builds a network of professionals to drive digital transformation and IT solutions across diverse sectors. As the founder of Celtar Advisers, Billy has guided nu...