Intangible Revenues Intangible Revenues Karl-Erik Sveiby 7 August 1998. All rights reserved. Most customers are sources of value, in forms other than hard cash. They provide training for employees, they can act as references , they talk to each other and so spread the word and the image , and their demands encourage the development of new products . Revenues arising from intangible assets take intangible forms .
Most companies use customer projects to develop new methods.
Michael Porter argues that the existence or absence of demanding customers helps to explain why some national industries become globally competitive, while others do not. Intangible revenues from customers, new recruits and suppliers. Other customers contribute their image. Having IBM or General Motors as a customer is a valuable reference, and it is quite remarkable how many big-name companies appear as existing or former clients, on consultants' CVs. However, the size of the customer has little to do with how interesting or challenging the projects are.