Five common factors in top performing industrial firms

Abstract This article presents the findings of an investigation into the role and practice of marketing in the United Kingdom. The authors have isolated from a larger survey the companies operating primarily in industrial markets (560 companies in total). Of these 560 companies, 73 (13%) have been identified as particularly successful on the basis of both market and financial performance. These “Top Performers” are profiled and compared with the remainder of the industrial marketing companies (termed here “Others”) across their various marketing activities. A clear picture emerges of the ingredients for success in industrial markets.