In this episode of The Kula Ring, Nate Calvert, VP of Marketing at KCooper, dives into how his company addresses the challenges in the manufacturing and supply chain space by adopting a customer-first approach. Nate highlights the shift from a product-centric model to one that revolves around solving specific customer problems. KCooper leverages international supply chains and innovative technologies to not only meet immediate demands but also introduce products that perform better, save money, and improve sustainability. Nate explains how KCooper’s proprietary performance-based solutions offer enhanced value, from sanitizer-compatible wipes to recyclable materials, ultimately transforming industry standards while fostering stronger relationships with their customers.

In this episode, we sit down with John Koehler of KK Tool to discuss the unique challenges of managing a family-run manufacturing business. From the pressure of modernizing marketing efforts to the critical role of recruiting and retaining top talent, John shares his insights on navigating industry consolidation and keeping small businesses competitive. Tune in to hear how family enterprises can adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving industrial landscape, and why communication and a sense of purpose are key to long-term success.

Defining an ideal customer and sourcing a target account list to match should be easy, but it isn’t. On this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff and Carman discuss how to craft an ideal customer profile (ICP), identify tools that can help, and warn about pitfalls along the way.

In a showcase of the Kula Partners team, Floyd Blaikie, VP of Strategy, explains how manufacturing marketers can benefit from developing a strategy with multi-year goals before getting started with ABM. Then with this roadmap, they can better align with sales to gain early wins. Floyd also provides tips on avoiding common ABM missteps.

Almost everyone agrees that talking to customers is a good idea, but sometimes manufacturers find that one particular department seems to stand in the way: sales. Salespeople functioning as customer gatekeepers can be a real problem. In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff and Carman explore how manufacturers can move past a culture of gatekeeper salespeople towards a future where serving customers is a team sport.