Dr. Ulrich Sperling

I studied biochemistry and earned a PhD in plant sciences. This background shapes how I work: I separate facts from opinions and assumptions. I formulate hypotheses, test them, and evaluate the results. Conclusions follow the data, not expectations.

It sounds like a lab environment, but it applies just as much to strategy and marketing.

My methodology also incorporates behavioral science. Markets do not act purely rationally. People buy when they understand an offer that solves a problem, makes something more convenient, or improves their status—and when the perceived risk is low and they trust the provider. Strategies that ignore this will fail.

The bridge I build leads from business strategy to the market, not from a marketing budget to the next campaign.

My recommendations are based on facts, my expertise, and my methodology. Not on what clients want to hear.

This means: I say what I think, even if it is uncomfortable. I promise nothing I cannot deliver. And I only recommend what I believe is right. If a mandate does not fit my way of working, I will say so.

I work with only a few clients at a time. This is a conscious decision. It ensures that I give every mandate the attention it requires.

I have been working for over 30 years with companies that market complex products and services in technical and scientific markets. Biotechnology, agritech, diagnostics, medtech, life sciences, healthcare, and professional services.

What I have learned during this time: technology companies often have strong products but weak market strategies. Not because they lack competence, but because the connection between strategy and marketing is rarely understood as a core management task.

That is exactly where I come in.

In my view, marketing has a social function: it finds new ways for companies to create value—for themselves and for their customers. When successful, it accelerates economic transactions, which contributes to societal prosperity.

This isn't a lofty claim. It is a sober description of what good marketing does.

What I reject: marketing as noise. Marketing that deceives customers or raises expectations that cannot be met. Not just for moral reasons, but because it doesn't work. Once trust is lost, it is hard to regain.