Published on
November 24, 2004 in
Business.
Here are a few more ideas:
Ask your customer questions. This can get tricky. There is a fine line between asking questions and being too nosy. The key here is in the approach and style of how questions are asked and the timing for asking the question. If the customer has suddenly made a right turn in his/her direction, let the customer know that in order to provide them with the proper support, you need to understand the change in direction. If you don’t get an answer from the customer, pick another time and place and restate your question again. Remember that even if you get an answer to your question, it may not be the answer you want to hear. It’s important to remember what the customer tells you, so unless you have a photographic memory, jot it down.
Be aware of your customer’s current climate. Knowing the undercurrent of what’s going on within your customer’s company can be useful in helping the customer. For example, finding out that company budget cuts are imminent could have an impact on your customer and the work you are performing for that customer. If the customer is worrying about continued funding, now is probably not the time to be asking for more work from them. This is an opportunity to help your customer by providing information that can help justify the need for the work you are performing for the customer.
Be observant of your customer. You can tell a lot about a customer just by observing. Law enforcement agencies provide training to their officers on how to be an observer. This becomes crucial to their work in responding to calls ranging from traffic accidents to crime scenes. Their observations provide a brief snapshot and will serve as the basis of the report they will write of the incident. Becoming an observer is easy, and you can begin by noticing what is in your customer’s office. Seeing what the customer has on his or her desk (awards, pictures, candy dish, etc.) or hanging on the walls (posters, diplomas and calendars) can provide information about the customer.
Participate in events with your customer. This goes beyond the usual such as attending meetings and going out to lunch, and extends to participating in after-work sports/events, as well as participating in community and good cause events. The most important thing to remember here is that whatever you do needs to be sincere. If the customer invites you to be on their bowling team and you detest bowling, then be honest with the customer. If you are unable to commit to bowling every week, let the customer know that you would be happy to drop by and cheer the team on. If you are unable to accept your customer’s invitation, at least offer alternatives and leave the door open for invitations to other events.
It always comes down to communication. I hope you get a better understanding of all your customers.
Published on
November 22, 2004 in
Business.
Capturing and updating customer information is a continuous effort that is beneficial to the customer, you, and your company. The more information you have about your customer, the better your relationship may be with that customer. It provides a foundation of information that can be shared across functional groups in your company. This foundation helps during staff transitions and helps grow new relationships with the customer. These relationships can help you understand your customer’s needs so that you can better provide solutions to the customer. Here are a few tips:
Communicate with your customer and often. Communication is a two-way street where the customer talks and you listen, listen, and then listen some more. Initiating communication helps if you have something to say. Sometimes it can just be a quick “hello, how are you doing” call. Customers want to know what is going on, but may or may not need detail overload. The important thing to remember is that you know what your customer wants you to communicate. Customers usually do not complain about too much communication, but rather when there is a lack of communication.
Know your customer’s products and services. Be aware of your customer’s business and products. Read the corporate publications if you have access to them. Visit their web site, read their annual report, and if possible, initiate conversations with other employees within the company. Focus on listening to what they are telling you (see above). Attend product meetings if you are allowed to. Providing good solutions depends on the business problems your customer is trying to solve. Knowing all you can about your customer’s business can help you better understand their business problems.
Understand your customer’s corporate culture. The corporate culture reflects items such as the company’s values, norms, beliefs, policies, and procedures. If permitted, attend corporate meetings, and announcements to understand the corporate mission, goals, and objectives. Understanding the corporate culture is imperative to implementing solutions for your customer. Having an awareness of the company’s policies and procedures is key to operating within their business environment.
More to come….
Published on
November 21, 2004 in
Business.
In the past, customers have had few choices of vendors depending on the product or service. Today, the customer has a wide variety to choose from, making the differentiation between companies increasingly difficult for both the customer and your prospects. Customizing your company’s solution to meet a customer’s needs is dependent on the knowledge you have of your customer. This knowledge usually comes from the relationship you have with your customer and what you learn and remember from that relationship.
The customer relationship begins well before the first contact that the salesperson has with the customer. If your marketing group has done its homework, it has already compiled information about the customer based on targeted markets and the customer’s need for your products and services. The marketing group has researched specific information about the company, its employees, and products. This information will serve as the foundation for the relationship that the salesperson will initiate with the customer.
Throughout the sales cycle, the salesperson maintains a relationship with the customer and obtains valuable knowledge and information on that customer. Sharing the customer’s needs and expectations with those individuals delivering the product or service is critical to the successful transition from sales to operations. The more you know about your customer, the better equipped you will be in managing the customer relationship and providing tailored solutions that meet the customer’s needs.
But, how can you get to know your customer better? I’ve got a couple ideas on what you can do. I’ll put them together and post them here in a day or two.
Published on
November 14, 2004 in
Business.
The SBA has provided to the President a report entitled The Small Business Economy.
The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration is pleased to present The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President. In 2003, the overall economic indicators improved as the recovery gained momentum. Small businesses have led the way. However, continued strong growth requires an environment that fosters more small business activity.
A couple of interesting points:
- The number of unincorporated self-employed increased by 3.7%
- Home-based businesses make up 53% of the small business population
- Barriers to home businesses are complicated IRS rules for home deductions and tests for independent contractor status.
There are many more interesting facts and figures that make for useful reading.
Via New England Project Services, I came upon an article in ComputerWorld, “Hi, I’m from IT and I’m here to help!” The story reminded me of some stupid thinking on what technology can do for you.
In the IT systems integration business, you see a lot of silly things. Some of the more absurd are the extremes to which companies will go to get unnecessary network connections between systems.
Consider a 20-year-old encounter with a potential client. They wanted to enable four workstations in a workgroup to share two printers. (Yes, I know, this is simple now. But back then…) The customer bought the printers, necessary drivers, queuing software, protocol stacks, network modules and hub ports. The cost of the printers: less than $450 each. The cost of of the network components and software to enable the workstations to share printers: $4,000.
There are times when IT systems integration is the wrong thing morally, physically and financially. I encountered this about 15 years ago when a client had a site a couple hundred miles from headquarters. The remote location was way out in the boondocks somewhere and they wanted a high-speed (19.2k) network connection between sites. Research showed that about $250,000-worth of phone equipment was needed for the hook-up. The phone company was charging them for changes required at their central office. And why did they need this? So that payroll files could be sent from the main office to the remote site twice a month. My recommendation: $20/month for floppy disks and FedEx!!
Not everyone needs technological solutions. A tremendous amount of money is expended in the name of user productivity on technologies that are rarely used. Obviously, technology is not always the solution.
Common sense should be the first indicator when deciding whether to install or change information technology. Not a study, not a massive committee meeting or a consultant’s report. Just a clear common-sense statement of why the systems are necessary, why now is the time to install it and how it will improve the workplace. The changes should start out small and grow. Just THINK before you LINK!
Here’s a good article in Forbes, The Good Old Days, about manufacturing and lost jobs and why you shouldn’t care.
We shouldn’t be so admiring of the factory jobs of yore. They were dreary, low-paid and repetitive and gave rise to strikes for a good reason. The safer course is to admire the machines that were made, but be thankful that today Americans have better jobs designing phones and selling boom boxes.
We have lost jobs, gained jobs and changed jobs over and over again — not because of some individual or political party, but because that is the way business and economic cycles work. Always be prepared. . . .and don’t whine about it.
