One of the most underrated and over-performing businesses in the world is in the refrigeration business in China. You may have not heard of them, but there are some important, counter-intuitive secrets to their success. These include extreme dedication to customer-centricity (demonstrated over decades) and an ability to anticipate customer needs. Listen in as the team unlocks this company's success secrets.

The retailer Kohl's will return items to Amazon for you -- are they crazy? New types of partnerships are emerging almost daily, some between companies that have been -- or will soon be -- competitors. Why is this happening? Is it a good idea? The team dissects the idea of symbiotic competition -- when it makes sense, when it doesn't, and how B2Bs can think through the unimaginable -- should you partner with competitors?

B2B companies are seeing some of their high-margin offerings being undercut. Smaller competitors with fewer assets are specializing, moving faster, and leaving the traditional competitors to fight it out over commoditized products and services. In the worst case scenario, some industries are being "Uber-ized!" Find out what you can do to protect yourself!

This season's focus is modern case studies -- successes and failures -- that B2B companies can learn from. This episode examines the recent struggles of Kraft/Heinz -- how did they miss some key trends that have resulted in a significant drop in sales, profits and stock value? The team looks at why incumbents fail to act on big changes, and provides advice for how big companies can be more nimble and avoid Kraft/Heinz fate!

All industries are being affected by new trends, technologies and competitors. With so much uncertainty about the future, companies need to be constantly experimenting with new ways of doing business. So why do so many companies continue to place big bets instead of monitoring a number of pilot projects for winners? The group discusses why this happens so often, and makes the case for more discipline.

People who understand value-based pricing know that it's a powerful strategy. So why don't more companies implement? Many think its not possible to accurately measure value from the customer's viewpoint. So they default to cost-based or competitor-based pricing approaches. The group concludes that those who think value can't be measured are wrong, and they are missing a huge opportunity to price better!

When your product or service generates important data that your customers can use in a broader "ecosystem," are their situations where you should block the data flow? What if this broader ecosystem includes your competitors? Should you willingly be part of "open systems", or is it to your advantage to create self-contained proprietary, closed systems? The team looks at all sides of this issue.

Does narrowing your focus to a single or a few target segments limit your opportunities for growth? While it is logical to think that targeting reduces your total addressable market (and it does), the team talks about the magnetic effect of focus - the ironic result of serving one segment so well that other segments are drawn to your value proposition.

Many B2B's have had the initial excitement of creating a needs-based segmentation strategy...only to have it fizzle out due to poor buy-in and bad execution of the initiative. They conclude that "it doesn't work." But it is actually very practical! And the answers to successfully implementing are easier than you think! Listen to the team give tips on how to make this powerful, differentiating approach work.

It's a myth that most successful companies are doing enough to stay ahead of new competitors and technologies. The team discusses the very human - but dangerous - reasons incumbents move too slowly. Hear how legends like Jack Welch and Andy Grove made sure it didn't happen to them, how Millennial's might be just what these companies need, and how executives can solve the main issues and lead change.