Italy's export share does not reach 3% of world trade; the propensity to export of Italian companies is equal to 15,6%; only 4,5% of Italian companies export and the share rises according to size – 32,5% export among companies with at least 10 employees. These numbers – for Nomisma and Cribis- are unequivocal: control of foreign markets is an uphill battle for most Italian SMEs, despite the fact that internationalization is unquestionably a fundamental strategic lever for business development (the difference in added value for employee in exporting companies is 100% higher).
Numbers that also tell the importance of safeguarding the internal market, the only or main outlet for many Italian companies. The internal market is certainly not without its difficulties: only in 2015 did the GDP finally show a positive sign (+0,6%), with optimistic forecasts - albeit not yet consolidated - for the next two years. A real recovery still appears far away: Italy still has to deal with strong dualisms, both territorial and generational. The unemployment rate shows large differences, not only between the North (8,1%) and the South (20,1%) of the country, but also between young people (30,5% in the 15-29 age group) and adults (8,3 ,35% among the over XNUMXs).
What changes the opportunities for success on the internal market is not only the ability to position a product and highlight its characteristics; another key element is certainly the ability to identify the most suitable B2B target and choose the most suitable distribution channels. The commercial aspect is very often more important than the product itself, and identifying the most suitable commercial structure is a critical decision that requires a lot of information and in-depth evaluations.
Product characteristics, channel, commercial structure are just some of the factors capable of interpreting the transformations taking place in the Italian market. For these reasons, Cribis Sales Intelligenge was born, the first personalized service that allows companies to analyze their positioning and identify commercial development opportunities in Italy. Cribis Sales Intelligence was born from the collaboration between Cribis D&B - the CRIF Group company specialized in the supply of economic and commercial information for business decisions - and Nomisma - a research and consultancy institute which has been the reference point for over 30 years interpretation and study of the dynamics of the sectors of the real economy.
The starting point of the report is in fact an in-depth interview between Nomisma analysts and the company's management. In this way, the activity of Nomisma's analysts is directed on the basis of growth objectives and the characteristics of the company's customer portfolio. Cribis Sales Intelligence is the solution designed to respond to the information needs of every company.
Also making use of Cribis D&B information on 100% of corporations, partnerships and sole proprietorships and of the Market Lab service for commercial planning, the analyst examines the company's customer portfolio and possible development markets. The final output is therefore a commercial business plan that identifies critical issues and opportunities for business development.
In this way, Cribis Sales Intelligence allows you to:
– Know the economic-financial situation and its positioning on the market
– Analyze your customer portfolio in detail
– Identify the best business opportunities in your potential market in Italy
– Enrich your business plan with information and analyzes that are difficult to recover internally
– Know the trends of the reference market and of the main leaders operating in Italy
For Luca Dondi dall'Orologio, General Manager of Nomisma: “The internal market is complex and in constant transformation. Companies need advanced tools to define strategic trajectories and nurture development prospects on the domestic market. Without the necessary awareness of the structural change that has occurred with the crisis, companies risk not fully grasping the growth potential of their business".
To remain competitive and continue to grow in terms of turnover and number of customers, the commercial management needs to have in-depth knowledge of its customer portfolio and the potential of the market, comments Marco Preti, CEO of CRIBIS D&B. Lack of time, data and specialist skills are constraints that often do not allow for this type of insight into the business. At the same time, until now only generalist products were available on the market, unable to capture the specifics of each individual company. This is why we decided to pool the skills of CRIBIS D&B and Nomisma".
