Tales from the Marketplace by Ivan Gadeschi
Ivan Gadeschi is a product management professional who works as Head of Product for temporary job agency Syft. Over time, Ivan has navigated a variety of uneven marketplaces with great skill and tact. He often faces challenges in business-to-business markets, so he has created a set of simple but effective solutions to use in this environment.
There are two sides to Ivan's business. The first is a “happy path”: a functional, relatively straightforward beeline that runs straight from the business to the consumer (B2C). The other path is fraught, but it is equally important. This is the B2B path, and it tends to be a little uneven.
Managing Problems
In B2B markets, there will be problems for clients. These “problems”, broadly speaking, may revolve around issues of bureaucracy, sharing profits, dividing work loads and managing databases. On behalf of Syft, Ivan attempts to minimise these problems. He ensures that his business works with other businesses under the following guidelines:
- Remove unnecessary work for the other business
- Make informed decisions on behalf of users
- React to feedback quickly
- Prioritise the partnered business in regards to their identity
With this in mind, procedures are clearer, intents are honest and partners can trust each other. Businesses have to operate in uneven markets but, sure enough, they can overcome them.
About the author
Annie Witcombe
Annie Witcombe produces editorial for Mind The Product on a freelance basis. She has experience in conducting client research and telephone interviews, and she keeps relevant information accessible and up to date. Annie wrote for five business publications during the final year of her undergraduate degree, and she has worked on various stages of the editorial process since. The experience has sparked her enthusiasm for journalism, which she hopes to continue in her future career.
