Service is everything
To lead is to serve. I know some people would disagree but if you really think about it, the leading businesses all have one thing in common. They all serve their customers better than anyone else.
How can you develop a business culture of service? It starts from the top. Lead by example. As the business leader you must serve your people just as much as you serve your customers.
Here are 5 ways you can improve your level of service.
Needs without Wants
Far too often sales leaders teach their reps to uncover their customers needs. Unfortunately, there is a big problem with this. Think about it in your own life. When you need something to you go out of your way to get it right then and there? Or do you put it off until later?
For example, if you have a leaky faucet do you fix as soon as you discover it or do you wait until it gets worse? For most people if the problem is not to painful, they wait until the pain becomes unbearable. Then and only then are they ready to do something about it.
But when you want something. You will do what it takes to get it as soon as possible.
The same principals apply to sales.
The Challenges of Sales Enablement
There are a lot of companies talking about sales enablement, but what is it? To many sales enablement is just a way to get more accountability from the marketing team. To others it’s investments in training programs. Then there are those who think better technology is what sales enablement is.
The truth is these are all elements of a successful sales enablement strategy. Before you can develop a strategy that is right for your business you first have understand where you are today.
The real way to make Customer Success work.
As more companies move to a SaaS model you must make it easy to set up, and use. In many cases this initial set up should require little to no cost to the customer.
Why this is important to you? If your customers purchase your solution and cannot get it work the way they want they will not stay your customer. Customer churn with SaaS companies is a significant challenge. The reasons vary, but one of the top reasons is they never figured out how to use the solution.
Making customer success work means you must be 100% all about the customer.
Is Your Organization Engaging?
Everyone is talking about engagement. Customer engagement member engagement, student engagement.
But what does all of this really mean?
I think Stephen Covey has the best description of what engagement really is.
“You must first seek to understand before seeking to be understood.”
Engagement is about listening first then providing exactly what the other person wants or needs.
This is not easy. Too many organizations think they can handle this on their own. Many think if they just invest in enough systems they can be more engaging. Others see it as a marketing problem. Then there are those who are just ignoring it.
Truly engaging your audience requires a new way of seeing. The truth is, if you think you are engaging, you may find you are wrong. The people you are supposed to be engaged with may tell you a very different story. The worse thing is most of those you think are engaged just go with the flow, so you never get the real deal. The only time you get real engagement is when you do something wrong.
Engagement requires communication. Communicating in an engaging manner takes time, and effort. The good news is if you work with someone whose only job is to help you, you’ll find new ways of communication you never thought were possible.
Then you truly will be engaging.
Delusional Forecasting
As we begin the new year how does your opportunity pipeline look? Too many business owners build their annual forecasts based on myth. They set goals that are unrealistic and often bae them on fiction. The fiction they use is the bad data in their CRM. Some times they are not even using a CRM. They just have a list of suspects that they believe are prospects.
How do you know if your forecast is real? You have to first understand your data. The problem however is too many leaders do things to sabotage themselves. The require the entry of false data into the CRM, so they end up with false reports. Then they act surprised when things do work out as planned.
There are ways to understand if your data is real. Unfortunately, too many leaders are not willing to do the things necessary to really gain true understanding. They would prefer to believe in the hype. They hope for the best. All successful business people know, hope is not a strategy.
So how can you know for sure if your forecast for this year is accurate? You could work with someone who has a decade of experience developing 100% accurate revenue forecasts up to 2 years out.
But you would have to be willing to take a deep hard look at your business. If you want to be like the ostrich and just stick your head in the sand, go ahead. But while you are ignoring the danger signs your competitors will be busy taking your customers, and winning the competitive bids that you thought you had in the bag.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing a factual pipeline review.
So, what are waiting for?
Its January 3rd now is the time to schedule an opportunity assessment and start the year armed with the knowledge of exactly where you will end 2019.
Or you could just keep guessing, and see how that works out for you. Do you think that’s what your competitors are doing?
Contact us and find out what your real 2019 forecast is today.
5 clues you should be aware of to verify if your software vendor can really deliver, or is just blowing smoke.
1- If they ask you to pay in order to see if the software will do what you want. That is a sure sign you may become the victim of a smoke and mirrors act.
2- If it takes more than a week to set up a demo that can prove they have the capabilities you need. You might be in for a very expensive solution that after your investment fails to live up to the hype.
3- If the vendor tells you that the value is in the service they offer, and their primary answer to your questions is “We can support that but they can’t show you”. You may be in for some big trouble if you buy.
4- If they can show you exactly what you want to see, and they can do so in a reasonable amount of time, that is a company that you want to work with.
5- If they can provide you with references without having you sign a letter of intent first, that shows they have enough satisfied customers that they have nothing to hide.
Your customers are experiencing more than you might think
In 2018 there are many reports about customer experience. Many businesses are setting up entire departments or teams focused on it. Many however are struggling to understand just what customer experience is and what it means for their business.
Your customers experience encompasses every interaction they have with your company, direct and indirect. Your website must provide a great experience no matter what device your customer is using. When they meet with your employees face to face, or speak to them on the phone. Even the documents such as invoices and letter influence how your customers experience your company.
If you are not sure that your customers experience is what is should be working with an independent professional business consultant can help you provide more delightful and profitable experiences.
Sometimes what you need is a little grease
Many business owners and sales executives face an all to common problem. Far too many of the opportunities in their sales pipeline are stuck. They look like great opportunities but the sales just are not coming in. How can you unstick these opportunities and turn them in to revenue?
Maybe what you need is a little outside help?
If you have ever encountered a door with a hinge that just won’t move no matter how much force you apply. Adding a little grease can make it move just like new.
Sometimes as business owners and sales executives you can get so close to things that you are not able to see the solutions to problems that may arise.
Someone who can review the situation with fresh eyes maybe be able to help you see a solution you not even aware of.
Sometimes when you get a fresh perspective on a situation the new set of eyes can see easily see if what you need is just a little grease to get things moving smoothly again.
If you have some challenges closing your sales opportunities we may be able to help.