Over the past week, I have had
several conversations and a common theme kept coming up: "How do we
stay relevant to our customers?" Since the crash of the economy, the
projects we were working on, the things we were doing are no longer
important to many of our customers. Our customers no longer want to
talk to us.
I have to admit I've struggled a little with this
notion -- how did we become irrelevant? In a conversation with a great
sales executive this morning, it all became crystal clear: We become
irrelevant to our customers when we stop focusing on their business and
their needs. We are irrelevant when we spend our time pitching our
products, not talking about growing their businesses.
The job of
the sales professional is to help their clients improve their
businesses, whether it is helping them become more efficient through
reducing costs and improving productivity; or helping them grow their
revenues by providing them new capabilities or addressing new
opportunities. Our job is to demonstrate how our offerings help them.
This
is not new, it has always been a core element of developing,
communicating, and delivering value---but prior to the downturn, both
we and our customers may been lulled into a complacency where value was
presumed, not proven. If anything, one of the greatest lessons we can
learn from the crises created by the economy is not to be lulled into a
false sense of security. Everything we do with our customers must
create value--each meeting and every solution. If we cannot create
value, we waste both their time and resources.
What customers
value changes over time. If we do not keep in step with our customers,
then we become irrelevant. Keeping in step means continually improving
our products and services. It means continual attention to the
conversations we have with customers--focusing on their needs and
priorities today and those they may have tomorrow.
Value is
dynamic, not static. Companies and sales people that don't help in
moving their customers forward are holding their customers back.
It's a big question, what are your thoughts? How do we stay relevant to our customers?
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