Pattern description

Know-how and other available assets existing in the company are not only used to build own products, but also offered to other companies. Slack resources, therefore, can be used to create additional revenue besides those generated directly from the core value proposition of the company.

Inventive problems

Application examples

The Swiss company Sulzer adopted the model when it started marketing its engineering knowledge and expertise through Sulzer Innotec. The company offers specialised know-how to outside customers in order to better finance its research and development activities.

Amazon also uses the Make More of It strategy. Its Web Services division offers a variety of Internet infrastructure management services, capitalising on Amazon’s 20 years of experience as an E-commerce giant. Several hundred thousand companies in over 190 countries benefit from the data and server management consulting expertise of and server space for rent on Amazon Web Services.

Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG (Sennheiser) is a German manufacturer of high-end audio products such as headphones, microphones and stereo receivers for private and commercial customers. The company saw Make More of It as a means of exploiting its enormous technical know-how in the field. Production of its high-quality audio products is complemented by the Sennheiser Sound Academy, which provides training and expert knowledge to employees, retailers and customers across a wide spectrum of audio technologies and processes. This enhances the company’s position as an authority in the audio technology field.

References

The Business Model Navigator: 55 Models That Will Revolutionise Your Business