Learning how to cultivate customer relationships is a crucial part of business development. It also forms the first part of our Systematic Sales Path. This post discusses what to do once you’ve identified an organization that you want to do business with. How do you go from an unknown entity to connecting with your ideal customer. I’ve identified a number of actions required to get the ball rolling. Remember that this is cyclical. Even if you win work through this customer you must continue to practice these actions to develop the relationship and ensure you don’t get replaced by a competitor.
The Customer Development Model contains the sequence of actions to be undertaken to begin developing relationships with your target companies and future customers.
Surf the Org Chart
This encapsulates the concept of identifying a who’s who of the stakeholders and decision makers within your target customer organizations. Getting hold of a customer organizational chart can be virtually impossible. LinkedIn is the ideal tool to identify a few key personnel to follow up with. Ideally, these are customers with a use for your company offering or leading the teams who would be using it. This will identify which customer relationships to cultivate.
You must connect with different levels within the customer organization—leaders, frontline workers, and budget holders. Having multiple roles aware of your offering makes their decision to buy that much easier. If the frontline workers request your services and the leaders and budget holders already understand the value, the funds are much easier to release.
Don’t fall into the trap of having only a single contact within a customer organization. Once that contact leaves, the relationship can vanish. It becomes all too easy for that customer to seek your offering elsewhere.
Introduction
For existing customers, the introduction is pretty straightforward. Asking for a meeting to gain feedback on your company’s performance allows you to meet with a clear agenda that doesn’t feel salesy. Remember to listen to the feedback they provide and take notes for later.
Gaining a meaningful introduction to a new potential customer can be the hardest part of the entire process. How do you get them to talk to you, let alone to meet you in person? The answer may surprise you:
Don’t be a salesperson!!
What I mean by that is put yourself in your customers shoes. Their time is precious—why should they spend it in discussion with you? Have a deep understanding of your customer’s problem. Make sure that what your conversation is going to add value.
Let your customer know what it is you intend to discuss and how it will be of use.
One of the best ways to get an introduction is to get a referral from a mutual acquaintance who believes there is value in you meeting. Talk to your personal network and existing customers to see if they can help you get an introduction.
Contact Customer
Once an introduction is secured, make contact via email or phone. The latter is more personable. With emails, be careful that your tone doesn’t come over as spam-like. This isn’t the time for a hard sell. Keep phone calls and emails short and to the point. Brevity is key. Just say who you are, who recommended you meet, and what you want to discuss.
If they say no, don’t feel despondent. Perhaps they’re not yet ready for your services. Always be polite and professional; you may well be dealing with them in the future. Make a note on your tactical action plan or CRM and move on to the next one, remembering to place a date to loop back to that contact again in the future.
Face-to-Face
Now the contact has agreed to meet. Don’t be nervous—they are meeting because of an interest in the agenda from your previous communication. Make sure that you stick to that agenda. You don’t want your customer to feel ambushed. Ask questions and listen to the answers. Do not spend all your time talking about how great your offering and company are. Use the 80:20 rule:
80 percent listening and 20 percent talking.
Learn as much as you can from the contact. Tell them a little about what your company and how you believe it can help in relation to what you’ve heard them say. Be polite and ask permission to reach out to them again in the future.
It’s worth noting that in the current times a face-to-face meeting can also be conducted via video call.
Follow Up
Once the meeting is complete, make sure to follow up fast. A quick email thanking them for their time and providing any information they may have asked for is enough. Adjust the tactical action plan or CRM with relevant notes, and set a date for a follow-up based on priority and opportunity potential.
Trial/Proposal
Having learned from the meeting about where the customer needs help, consider a way to let them experience your offering with little risk or expense. Perhaps you could invite them to your factory for a tour or provide some free training.
Alternatively, provide them with existing customers who are willing to act as a reference. Allowing the customer to experience what you have to offer can help develop their sense of trust in your company and offering, which can go a long way in reducing any concerns they may have of taking a risk on a new company.
If the customer has discussed a specific problem that you can solve, don’t just send a quote, prepare a proposal. Include the costs. But you also need to reassure the customer that you understand their problem; explain how you can solve it. Make sure to highlight what the benefits will be once your solution is engaged. The proposal can take the form of a letter, formal document, or email. This will very much depend on the customer’s expectations. Regardless, placing your offering into context is key.
I’ll be discussing proposals in more detail in a later post.
Feedback Loop
In addition to updating the tactical action plan or CRM, it is critical that the information learned in the meeting is fed back into the wider business. Taking time to share findings during the leadership or team meetings is important so the organization can adapt. Don’t forget to include your internal stakeholders and influencers as part of this communication.
Cultivating your Customer Relationships
The Customer Development Model is a simple process that can really help you cultivate those relationships. Remember it is intentionally cyclical. You will need to repeat this cycle over and over again for your existing and prospective customers. It all comes down to not thinking like a salesperson but rather where you can create the most value. That way customers will look forward to you getting in touch and your conversations will be useful.
How do you cultivate your customer relationships? Let me know in the comments below, on LinkedIn or via the usual channels.
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