Loyal Customers
Train Like You Are in Second
I have seen this expression altered slightly to “Train like you’re sponsored by Nike”. Both are good bits of advice. Always Be Learning An Athlete will benefit from continuous training, and a business leader is no different. The first part of this quote is “play like you are in first”. Whether or not you are…
Read MoreCustomer Service: Bespoke or Standard?
Both. Your clients want to feel that you take the time to understand them and their specific needs, but they also need consistency in dealing with you. They need to know who to contact and how, when to expect a response, and they have to have confidence that you can solve their problem or address…
Read MoreDo you Push or Do Buyers Pull? (Less selling more buying)
How many times have you walked into a store thinking “I hope nobody tries to sell to me, I know what I want to buy so let me get it, pay, and leave.”? Your clients are no different: they will be much happier if they are doing the buying – the pulling – rather than…
Read MoreStatus Quo – Your Main Competition
A lot of people are vying for your clients’ attention. As you strive to stand out from all the competition it is important to remember one thing: they can always do nothing. Buying Triggers Unless a client is responding to catastrophic change, buying remains an option, not an obligation. There are various reasons a client…
Read MoreCustomer Support vs Customer Service
Both matter. Keeping a focus on how the two differ, and then ensuring both are implemented in your business will enhance the relationships you have with clients, as well as improving your product or service offering. Customer Support Your client has a question about using your product. Or perhaps something isn’t working they way it…
Read MoreMake Each Client Your Best Client
B2B sales have, as discussed previously, three clients in one. When selling to another company or organization you must understand the client entity, the individual buyer, and the ultimate beneficiary of your product (see link above for more detail). Of these three, the Buyer will be the focus of your communication throughout the buying cycle,…
Read MoreNobody Wants Your Product
What they want is the outcome you will produce. People do not buy a B2B product or service for fun, or to do their vendors a favor. They buy solutions to problems, they buy improvements to processes… in other words: they buy the effect a product or service produces for them. Regular readers of this…
Read MoreWhy Saving Time Isn’t Enough
Over the past couple of months I have had several conversations about whether “saving time” should be central to a value proposition. The answer is yes, and no, and is worth addressing here. For a business to business company, “Saving Time” and its non-identical twin brother “Saving Money” are both essential benefits of any product…
Read MoreThe Three Clients of B2B Sales
Take a business that sells to other businesses (B2B, or business-to-business). Ask any three employees who their clients are; chances are you will receive three different answers. And, most likely, all three are correct. How to increase sales from enterprise clients? This questions rose recently on an online small business forum, from a provider of…
Read MoreThe Buyer’s Pyramid
What makes a buyer ready to buy? How severe is a pain before the buyer will depart with funds to acquire your product or service? As I have said before: status quo should be on your list of competitors. Sometimes the alternative is more daunting than whatever system is in place at the moment, and the…
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