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Executive Education for Companies

Expertise in Marketing, Communication, Sales & Digital Transformation

At the Institute for Marketing and Customer Insight, we have been developing customized training programs in marketing and sales for companies for more than 15 years, with a special focus on digital transformation and individualized customer solutions. We impart up-to-date knowledge and methods based on application-oriented research from the University of St.Gallen and guide participants to apply this knowledge to specific tasks in the company. The training programs provide the participants with action competence and create a common mindset on the training topics. Top management receives tools and impulses to steer entrepreneurial change.

Marketing, Kommunikation, Sales & Digitale Transformation

Program Examples

The orientation of companies towards their markets and customers is essential for successful market development – and with it the topic of «Customer Centricity». We accompany you in this strategic (re)orientation in marketing. Based on the task-oriented approach of the University of St.Gallen, we support you with a market-oriented corporate management in the development of profitable business models.

Successful companies align their marketing strategy with their market and their customers. To this end, a targeted growth strategy is first formulated for the company’s own business segment. Then, customer and performance potentials of the business unit are identified and exploited. Finally, consistent customer centricity is used to create added value for customers and the company itself. The Task-oriented Approach (AoA) of the University of St.Gallen provides the appropriate framework. It makes it possible to structure attractive growth opportunities in the four core tasks of customer acquisition, customer retention, service innovation and service maintenance (outside-in) and to align these with your competencies (inside-out). The goal is to develop profitable business together with your customers and to realize new growth opportunities for your company.  We accompany you in this strategic (re)alignment of your marketing management.

In addition to the AoA, you learn methods for the systematic recording and evaluation of trends, information on competitors and on the behavior of your target groups to align your marketing even more closely with your target markets. We also teach you how new digital channels and technologies affect marketing. Furthermore, we train you on innovations and current developments in digital marketing. Together, we address the opportunities and implications of digitalization and work with you to develop innovative business models for your company. Identify attractive growth opportunities for your company together with us!

Relevant topics:

  1. Basic Principles of Marketing
  2. Strategic Marketing: Task-oriented Approach (AoA)
  3. Customer Potentials: Customer Acquisition and Retention
  4. Performance Potentials: Performance Innovation and Maintenance
  5. Management of Core Task Profiles
  6. Customer Centricity
  7. Customer Journey & Customer Experience Management
  8. Targeting & Segmenting
  9. Product Management
  10. Distribution & Price
  11. Marketing Controlling
  12. Digital Marketing
  13. Digital & Data Analytics
  14. Market Research
  15. Marketing Leadership
  16. Brand Management & Communication
  17. B2B Marketing

Increasing digitalization is changing corporate and customer processes and creating opportunities for new business models. We support companies in this digital transformation process from the customer’s point of view: align your organization with your customers and ensure with us that your organization effectively uses new digital marketing tools and channels.

At the heart of every successful business is not the company, its own processes or strategies – but its customers. If this is the case, we speak of Customer Centricity. Today, successful providers differentiate themselves through customer-centric services that offer real added value in collaboration with the various contacts on the customer side. The marketing of technically high-quality and complex products and services requires systematic analysis and implementation, which presuppose deep technical and methodological expertise. In the digital age, topics such as customer orientation along the customer journey, the shift toward customer experience management, or the creation of personalized shopping experiences through digital approaches such as AI play an important role. Other special features place high demands on marketing and sales in the business-to-business (B2B) sector.

In addition, digitalization is influencing all facets of marketing. Digital transformation offers many challenges: Digital marketing is often more complex, difficult, and expensive than traditional marketing. In addition, fewer customer senses are accessible online. Established offline strategies often cannot be transferred. Digital innovations also increase your consumers’ expectations and the complexity of marketing. Learn with us to master this complexity and create a real competitive advantage. For example, artificial intelligence allows much more accurate segmentation and prioritization of customers. Furthermore, digitization is changing the impact of globalization on supply and demand. We show you how you can deliver top performance even in an international environment. Tap into untapped potential with us and make the best possible use of synergies through optimal cooperation between sales and marketing.

Relevant topics:

  • Customer Centricity
  • Customer Experience Management
  • Customer Journey Thinking & Mapping
  • Value Selling
  • Value-Based Customer Management
  • Storytelling
  • Digital Transformation
  • Digital Business Models
  • Digital Customer Solutions
  • Data & Technology
  • Online Marketing & Social Media
  • eCommerce
  • Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
  • Marketing Automation
  • Programmatic Advertising
  • Virtual & Augmented Reality

Key accounts are critical to the sustainable, long-term growth of a company and require a significant commitment of time and resources. Sales people need to develop a clear strategy and program structure to manage and grow key accounts. Develop your sales and key account teams with us so that your sales organization is more professional, motivated, and structured to achieve better results. 

How do individual companies achieve peak performance in sales and what makes them successful? In our customized trainings in Strategic Sales and Key Account Management (KAM), you develop sound concepts, methods and tools that support you in your daily work in sales and customer management. With us, you learn how to increase the overall sales performance of your company, for example through Sales Excellence and Value Selling, Sales Funnel Management and Sales Automation. Furthermore, with the help of the St.Gallen Key Account Management Concept – the field-tested framework model of the University of St.Gallen in the field of KAM – we enable you to professionalize your cooperation with key customers and to actively introduce, design and optimize a systematic KAM approach in your company.

With us, you learn to manage sales according to the latest findings and to implement success factors in a targeted manner. In addition, you apply what you have learned to your company by means of various transfer tasks. You receive future-oriented impulses for your sales and key account management, develop innovative concepts for sales and acquire a digital mindset. You also learn about the special features of B2B marketing. On the one hand, customers must be segmented according to different criteria. On the other hand, customers are more complex: for example, purchasing committees consist of several people and functions, so a variety of personalities, functions and hierarchical levels must be considered. In short, we provide you with the know-how and support you in significantly increasing sales performance in your company through efficient sales and Key Account Management.

Relevant topics: 

  • Strategic Sales Management
  • Sales Excellence
  • Sales Funnel Management
  • Sales Automation
  • Sales Process Management
  • Value-based Customer Management
  • Value Pricing & Selling
  • Digital Sales
  • Gallen KAM Concept
  • Strategic Key Account Management (KAM)
  • International & Global KAM
  • Systematic Treatment of Key Customers
  • Customer Meetings & Negotiations
  • Customer Portfolio Management
  • Intercultural Competence
  • Digitalization in KAM
  • Leadership in Sales & KAM
  • B2B Marketing
Cover Broschüre Custom Executive Programs

All information at a glance

Want to learn more about our customized training courses for companies? Take a look at our current brochure here and learn more about our expertise in marketing, sales, communication and digital transformation.

Customer Solutions

Our Stories

Logo Swisscom

Digital Transformation

Logo WAGNER

Digital Transformation

Logo MSD Animal Health

Key Account Mgmt.

  • Logo Swisscom

    Digital Transformation

  • Logo WAGNER

    Digital Transformation

  • Logo MSD Animal Health

    Key Account Mgmt.

Wissenschaftler VR Brille

MedTech Webinar

Logo BIOTRONIK

Value-Based Marketing

Logo Vincorion

Key Account Mgmt.

  • Wissenschaftler VR Brille

    MedTech Webinar

  • Logo BIOTRONIK

    Value-Based Marketing

  • Logo Vincorion

    Key Account Mgmt.

References

  • We have been working with the University of St. Gallen for more than 10 years. The HSG is an important partner for us in the field of marketing. This ensures that we are always up to date with the latest marketing trends.
    Bühler AG
    Anton Holenstein, Chief Strategy Officer
  • Success comes when competence and the right moment come together. We have therefore placed the topic of "competence in marketing" at the top of the agenda and founded the Geberit Marketing Academy internally. In cooperation with the HSG, we have reached every employee and made them fit for our "Geberit Modern Marketing Strategy". This means we are ready for the right moment every day.
    Geberit International AG
    Florian Maurer, Head of Training
  • What will marketing of the future look like and what does that mean for us as a company? Since 2015, we have been addressing this question together with the Institute for Marketing at the HSG through a comprehensive program for our marketers.
    B. Braun SE
    Robert Weber, Vice President Marketing & Sales Transformation
  • The St.Gallen KAM concept has brought our strategic work with our key accounts to a new level. We are convinced of the practical relevance of the training. The developed key account plans are now among the most important working tools in our key account management.
    Vincorion
    Martin Eisenschmid, Director Business Development (Deputy Vice President BD&S)
  • Through the Value-Based Marketing Training of the University of St. Gallen, we have realigned our marketing approach in defined projects from "technology-centric" to "customer-centric". We are enthusiastic about the balance between knowledge transfer, stimulation of potential and support in practice-oriented implementation by the trainer team, led by Peter Mathias Fischer. Our teams benefit from the common customer focus in their daily collaboration and the sales team receives relevant support for the next customer meeting.
    Biotronik
    Dr. Thomas Kraft, Chief Sales Officer
  • One of the most valuable things we learned as a company in conducting our Digital Transformation Training with the University of St.Gallen for our leadership team is that this is as much a cultural transformation as it is a technological and/or digital one.
    Wagner Group
    Guido Bergman, Chief Executive Officer
  • The "CAS Digital Transformation & Customer Solutions (HSG)" was created specifically for Swisscom and Enterprise Sales & Services. This is because the telco and IT solutions business is changing substantially due to global hyperscalers and software as a service providers – and with it our current business model and our future revenues and earnings. If we want to remain relevant at the customer interface, we must increasingly learn to sell business value and not primarily technology. This requires relevant content and credibility in our customers' buying centers. The CAS of the Institute for Marketing and Customer Insight is designed to support us in this essential transformation.
    Swisscom
    Lukas Bigler, Chief Security Officer
  • The "Competence Training in Key Account Management" and the advanced training "Professional Leadership in Key Account Management" from MSD Animal Health have not only strengthened the individual potential of our employees, but also put the focus on working together as a team. Through joint planning and exchange among the Key Account Managers, Specialist Consultants and the Account Based Marketing team, we were able to refine our strategies on our key accounts and expand partnerships. A great way to develop a consistent methodology and KAM culture within the team. Clear recommendation from us!
    MSD Animal Health
    Dr. Stefan von Rüden, Executive Director Business Unit Corporate Accounts (D/A/CH)

Tailor-made for your goals

Moderated Learning Journey

As the leading management school in the German-speaking region, we impart up-to-date marketing knowledge with a high level of practical relevance. The learning concept is based on the individual needs of your company. The resulting continuing education includes a multi-phase, moderated Learning Journey. The individual modules are designed interactively and impart current state-of-the-art HSG knowledge with direct practical relevance. The immediate application of what is learned is the focus of the executive education.

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140+
Customer-specific executive education programs conducted
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120+
Satisfied customers in more than 36 industries
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10000+
Participants in customer-specific training programs

Let’s Talk

Porträt Katja Feige
Dr. Katja Feige
Head of Executive Education for Companies

In recent years, we have had the pleasure of working with the following companies, among others: