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Seat 3 · Founder · ABaCUS Imperials, for Filter Works

Winning a relationship market without competing on product

Founder, ABaCUS Imperials · strategy and execution, advising the CEO2023 · 2 months3 min read
12qualified leads
3new accounts in two months
3-figuretotal budget
02 · The situation

A market run on decades-old supplier relationships

ClientFilter Works, sole authorized distributor in India for HIFI FILTER, a European industrial filtration manufacturer
My roleStrategy and execution end to end, advising the CEO
Timeframe2 months, 2023
Starting pointNo digital presence, no benchmark data, no marketing team

Industrial buyers in India had worked with the same suppliers for decades, often through personal relationships. The client believed product quality would sell itself: once buyers saw European engineering, they would switch. But procurement teams rarely switch long-standing suppliers on quality claims alone, especially to a newcomer.

Before spending, I tested messaging with 15–20 procurement contacts through real-time survey responses.

Finding 1Buyers had complaints, not curiosity

Their answers pointed to the incumbents’ weak spots rather than to product quality: high return rates, and suppliers who couldn’t keep up when demand surged.

Finding 2The story had two parts, in order

Global credibility to earn a first conversation, then reliability where incumbents failed to win the account.

03 · The call

A new distributor, no digital presence and buyers loyal for decades. What do you lead with?

Make your call to see mine.

04 · What I built

Find the complaint, then answer it

Step 1 · Before

A quality pitch to loyal buyers

The client believed European engineering would sell itself. Procurement teams had worked with the same suppliers for decades.

Step 2 · Survey

Asked buyers before spending

I tested messaging with 15–20 procurement contacts. Their answers pointed to high return rates and suppliers who couldn’t keep up when demand surged.

Step 3 · Message and channels

Credibility first, reliability second

LinkedIn Ads targeted procurement managers, operations heads and maintenance engineers; Google Search caught high-intent searches for specific filter types and applications.

Step 4 · Qualification

Judged on pipeline, not activity

Calls to action qualified B2B leads instead of maximizing form fills, and creative was revised weekly on CTR and lead quality.

Exhibit · step 1 of 4
A product-quality pitch meeting loyal buyers, a survey of 15 to 20 procurement contacts, a two-part message, and a funnel from about 150 leads to 12 qualified to 3 accounts The client’s pitchEuropean engineering Procurement teamsdecades-old suppliers × buyers rarely switch on quality claims alone 15–20 procurement contacts surveyed high return rates can’t keep up when demand surges two months, three-figure total budget ~150 leads 12 qualified 3 new accounts the message, in order 1 · Global credibilityearns the first call 2 · Reliabilitywins the account LinkedIn Ads · procurement and operations roles Google Search · filter types and applications
Now showingA quality pitch to loyal buyers
05 · What happened

Pipeline in two months, on a three-figure budget

~150leads on a three-figure total budget
12qualified leads
3active accounts within two months
  • LinkedIn Ads ran as a new channel in a market with no paid history.
  • Targeting started with the closest-fit audiences, then widened to lookalikes, interest cohorts and broader automated testing as data built up.
  • Success was judged on qualified leads, the KPI agreed with the CEO, not on traffic or form fills.
06 · What I'd change

I’d connect leads to revenue from day one

A simple CRM would have done it. We could show qualified leads and converted accounts, but not deal value, which is the number a B2B leadership team cares about most.

In relationship markets, find out what buyers dislike about their current suppliers before you tell them what’s good about yours.

Market entry · B2B · Industrial distribution · India · LinkedIn Ads, Google Search

Hiring for a role like this?astitvasawhney@gmail.comMore ways to reach me