For all of the mechanics of marketing, the sales disciplines and the metrics built to drive your business operations at scale we often seem to forget the most important element in our value proposition and sales pitch.
We work on OUR story highlighting our USPs and focusing on what makes the technology compelling, but what is critical is to understand your customer's own story. What motivates them?, what is it they are looking to achieve with you both in terms of the betterment of the firm in which they work, but also at the more personal level? How can you help that person, that champion as you engage with them? How exactly are you helping your customer be the hero in this story?
Let me start with this question. Have you asked your customers what their own KPIs (key performance indicators) are? Do you know how they are bonused? What pressure they are under? What mandate they have been pulled in to satisfy? Do you know what their work dynamic is? Did they compete internally to be given this project you are now helping with as a vendor? I am sure you understand fully the business drivers - they doubtless helped you to construct your ROI models and business case, they subtly informed the RFP you worked to influence. But what are the emotional drivers and how can you work to gain the trust required to be a part of that conversation?
The best sales people I have met genuinely work to help make their customers successful. They operate as partners more than vendors and in identifying the champion on the client side they make it their mission to ensure that customer is successful by whatever measures they determine.
That's why all marketing materials need to feature the success of the customer at both an entity and individual level. You as a vendor need to completely understand what it will take to make that customer successful and you need to make it your mission to both strive for that client's success and to help promote their success internally and in the market.
Here are my 5 tips to helping make your customer the protagonist in your story;
Get inside their KPIs - What are the real measures for their success (I promise you delivering to budget will be lower on the list than you think).
Understand their career - What will this successful project mean for them. How will it help them achieve their individual goals as well as those of the enterprise.
Creating a champion - Don't just sell the solution you have but really engage with your internal partner. Sit down and have a real conversation about how to make that customer your champion. Align your goals.
Celebrate their success - Once you have successfully delivered the solution you have committed to, work with that customer to promote and celebrate that success. Celebrate the win to help convey that working with you is about meeting the needs and delivering.
Continued success is key - Conducting rigorous QBRs (quarterly business reviews) with the customer helps to ensure that success continues to be a focus beyond the initial launch and deployment with the customer. Make that a part of your engagement with the customer.
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