The economic indicators are showing signs of improvement. Many economists are starting to be more bullish in their outlook. The worst may be behind us. Now is the best time to build a customer experience program that will deliver the success you want three months, six months, a year from now, and beyond, when this economic train is really rolling down the tracks. Here are 15 steps to take now to make certain you are concentrating on Customer Experience Management so that you are on board that train.
15 Tips For Your Customer Experience Program
1. Protect Your Best Accounts: First, maintain and grow what you have. Your competitors may be reading this and are targeting your best accounts. Client retention is more important than ever in this economy. Never assume everything is OK if you don't hear from them. Make sure they know what you are already doing for them. Be proactive and ask what else you can do for them.
2. Call your Inactive Accounts: They must have become inactive for a reason. A successful Customer Experience Program can help you find out why you lose accounts so that you don't make the same mistake again. Reach out to your inactive accounts and find out why they left and see if you can fix it. If the economy had created a downturn for them, be there to ride the wave up.
3. Exploit Your Strengths: Now is the time to differentiate yourself and your company. With Customer Experience Management you can take a hard look at what you, and your company, do well. Build on these strengths. Specialize! Look for those niches. Become an expert in your given area.
4. Ask for More Referrals: When making your regular (value-added) sales calls make it a point to ask the customer if they would be a reference account for you. Also, ask if they can recommend you to other companies that could take advantage of the same types of benefits/results they receive from you. Executives running successful businesses typically know other successful executives. If you are running a successful customer experience program you can probably expect that some of your customers will refer you to other people.
5. Pre-Sell for the Future: Yes, you are still going to hear "We can't do anything now." And when it is legitimate, get as much commitment as you can today. Ask them "When do you anticipate moving forward? Can my company be the one to assist you then?"
6. Stay in Touch: For the companies that aren't buying today, be sure you are the one they think of first when they are ready. Create regular e-mail distributions for value-added tips, industry information, etc. Target these distributions to managers, technical people, and others as needed. Send personal, handwritten notes as well. Having a customer experience program in place will put you in position to assist these clients once they are ready to reengage.
7. Smart Prospecting: Get more opportunities in your pipeline. But don't just "Smile and Dial" for the sake of activity. Target wisely. Investigate and learn about them before speaking with them (the Internet is a salesman's most powerful tool). Tailor your questions to their issues and situation.
8. Provide Personal Value to Your Customers: I bet you know more than one person who has been "RIF'-d" or downsized. Take an interest in them personally and help your buyers on a personal level. Remember, a buyer who loses his or her job in one organization often shows up in a similar position in another!
9. Follow the Dollars: For the same reason Jesse James held up trains, find the companies that are currently unaffected by the economy. Focus your efforts there. Many companies are doing better than ever "Right Now." Where are these companies in your world?
10. Get in shape: If you were going to run the Boston marathon, you'd probably work out to get yourself into better shape. Well, if you are going to survive in the sales business going forward you need to have your skills and attitude in top shape as well. Are you on a regular "sales skills self-improvement" workout schedule? Make sure your customer service management skills are top notch.
11. Stretch your Creativity: Start saying "Why Not" a lot more. Why couldn't you go after a bigger sale than you've ever made to this point? Think back. What was the most unusual way you ever got a new customer? Try it again.
12. Negotiate for the Long Term: Keep in mind that in this economy, it may be worth it to be a bit more flexible in negotiating a first sale with a new customer, especially if the account has long-term potential.
13. Work Harder: Sales success isn't like the lottery or get-rich-quick TV shows. It doesn't show up in your spam e-mails. Show me the sales representative thriving today and I am willing to wager he or she is out hustling everyone else. "Kick it up a notch" in the words of Emeril Lagasse, the famous TV chef and restaurant entrepreneur.
14. Ask More: I do not believe that sales is "just a numbers game," it has been proven many times the more you ask the more you get. One good idea is to take your company / product /services "Benefit List" and use it to create questions to determine if those "benefits" truly are of value to your prospects and customers. Some perceived benefits could actually be liabilities.
15. Set Goals: The number one trait of successful sales people is that they set goals every year, month, and day. If you want to reach any destination, you first need to know what it is and where it is. There are no magical secrets here. The key is dedication and determination to be successful.
Contact us if you are interested in a Customer Experience Program to help you improve B2B Customer Satisfaction