Xerox's Successful Application of Commercial Insight

Key Insight

Xerox Technology Business, a provider of enterprise printing solutions, faced a significant challenge in selling its advanced ColorQube cartridge-free solid-ink printers to the kindergarten-to-twelfth-grade (K-12) education market. These printers offered dramatically less expensive color printing, almost on par with low-cost black-and-white options. However, Vice President of Marketing Leah Quesada was conflicted because school budgets were declining, and technology administrators prioritized extending the lifespan of existing equipment rather than adopting new, 'premium' color solutions. Traditional marketing focusing on product features ('speeds and feeds') proved ineffective, as customers would acknowledge technical superiority but still be unwilling to invest.

To overcome this market resistance, Leah's team developed a Commercial Insight that fundamentally transformed their sales approach. This insight moved beyond merely articulating the product's technical advantages, instead reframing the value proposition to address higher-order customer concerns relevant to the broader educational institution. Crucially, it involved expanding the target audience from traditional IT or business managers to include a wider array of stakeholders within the K-12 ecosystem, such as superintendents, principals, business managers, and lead teachers. This strategic shift in both messaging and engaged stakeholders was pivotal to unlocking previously stagnant market potential.

The successful deployment of this Commercial Insight resulted in a remarkable 17 percent lift in sales for Xerox in the K-12 vertical market, a segment that had previously been flat to declining. Sales agents reported winning almost all deals by reframing conversations around student learning and how Xerox could contribute, effectively shutting out competition. This new approach enabled Xerox to consistently get 'ahead of the RFP' process, influencing buying criteria before formal requests for proposals were even issued. The K-12 success also served as an internal proof point, inspiring other Xerox product groups to adopt a Commercial Insight-led go-to-market strategy across the organization.