Solution Business: Building a Platform for Organic Growth

Success in solution business starts by accepting that solution business is a separate business model, not simply another product category or an extension of the existing product business. This book identifies the business model areas that firms need to focus on when transforming into solution business. It further organizes these areas into three sets of capabilities and practices: commercialization, industrialization and solution platforms. This is the first book to take a comprehensive view of success in solution business and its relevance therefore extends to all functions of firms wanting to become solution providers as well as to many managerial levels. The book will also help you self-assess how ready your organization is for success in solution business.

About the Author

Professor Kaj Storbacka University of Auckland Business School

M.Sc (naval architecture), Aalto University, School of Science

M.Sc (business admin), Hanken School of Economics

Ph.D. (marketing), Hanken School of Economics

Dr. Storbacka is one of the global forerunners in the field of developing customer oriented business models. He has thirty years of experience as a strategy consultant to major European and global companies – in finance, media, travel, retail, utility, manufacturing and telecommunications.

Dr. Storbacka is a frequent speaker at internal seminars for major global corporations, at Executive MBA programs and leading management development institutions in Europe, Asia and the US.

He has previously held professor chairs at Hanken School of Economics in Finland and at Nyenrode Business Universiteit in the Netherlands. In 1994, he founded Vectia Ltd., a management consultancy focusing on customer oriented strategy, solution business development and customer experience management. He is now on the board of Talent Vectia Ltd., the largest consulting firm in Finland and since 2004, on the board of the Strategic Account Management Association (SAMA).

Dr. Storbacka has published over sixty books and academic articles. His books Designing Markets: Are you Market Driven or Market Driving (with Dr. Suvi Nenonen) and Customer Relationship Management – Creating Competitive Advantage through Win-Win Relationship Strategies (with Dr. Jarmo R. Lehtinen) have been awarded as the best business books in Finland in 2010 and 1997. His academic research on Market and Business Model Innovation has been published in journals such as Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business&Industrial Marketing, European Journal of Marketing and Market Theory.

Risto Pennanen

M.Sc (Technical Physics), Aalto University and Technische Universität München, Germany MBA, Aalto University and INSEAD, France

Risto Pennanen is a Senior Partner at the consulting firm Talent Vectia Ltd., Espoo, Finland. He has a long management experience in industry ranging from R&D to manufacturing and sales management as well as business line and business development responsibilities. During his consulting career in Vectia Ltd. and Talent Ltd. he has consulted since year 2000 a number of leading international companies in the ITC, electronics, metals, machinery, construction and paper&pulp industries in customer oriented strategy, solution business development and strategic account management.