PricewaterhouseCoopers shares the secrets of the top-performing businesses. The business advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has published a study on the top-performing businesses in Europe. These are defined by an increase in income twice that of other companies (“next-best” companies). They are the companies which do most to manage their client relationships. The survey was carried out in 2010 and the panel was made up of 270 European companies active in multiple sectors of activity. The companies, which varied in size, have turnovers ranging from several million to several billion euros. According to the study, the top performers have specific traits which distinguish them from other businesses. These are: 1) a growth strategy centred on the relationship with the client, with which they share more functional information, for instance (production, logistics, development etc). The top performers have developed solid relations with their clients. Their ability to recruit new clients is high and the share of income achieved through new business is in excess of 30%; 2) close management and pay indexed on margins and clients: the top-performing businesses stand out from the crowd by their proximity and the operational commitment of their sales teams. The management team spends twice as long (50%) supervising their sales teams. The salaries of the commercial teams take account, in a well-balanced way, of the turnover indicators, margins and new business, whereas the next-best businesses focus largely on turnover and take little account of the other two dimensions; 3) sales processes designed to improve “cross-selling”. The top-performing businesses propose 60% more additional products alongside the product(s) they sell than the next-best. Of the top performers 90% take full advantage of the capacities of their sales channels, making better use of the mix between direct selling, the telephone and the internet, compared to 60% for the next-best; 4) more confidence in the future: the top performers forecast better prospects over time and are overall more confident in the future than the next-best (on average 15% more confident). In conclusion, PricewaterhouseCoopers notes that the top performers have made more of an effort to react to the crisis and to adapt to the economic situation. The number of businesses which have taken no measures during the crisis is eight times higher in the group of “next-best” businesses. Additionally, the country, the sector and the size of the business have no influence on performance. Only best practice explains the results of the top-performing companies. (I.L./transl.fl)