Because a “Confused Mind Always Says No.”

One-minute Read by Thomas B. Cross – CEO TECHtionary.com

Integral to any customer sales experience is setting the expectations.  Setting customer expectations is often, though not always possible, if asked.

and impossible or worse,  if not.

Customers rarely tell you what they are really looking for because they don’t always know themselves.  Yet without asking and having an understanding between all the players involved will generally result in failure or worse such as litigation.  After years of in-depth personal customer surveys, the findings are clear.  A number of companies were asked in a confidential and private framework and we found that customers are rarely fond of their vendors to be kind.  They expressed views that run the gamut from hate to distrust and more.  When you drill into the factual details you find the following are just some of the reasons customer distrust their providers:

• Unanticipated delays
• Unworkable features
• Un-deliverable features
• Incompatibility with interfaces
• Unanticipated consequences
• Business outages
• Contract obstruction legalese
• Customer business losses
• Serious staff impacts – overtime, confusion, etc. 

There are many more reasons that often lead to negative financial consequences and litigation for the provider, partners and others involved. Yet, is there no positive remedy and means for ongoing positive customer experiences.  The answer is yes.  Discussed in more detail in Selling UP Market UP Margin Technology to SMB & Enterprise Certification class at ITEXPO / MSP Expo, here are just some of the ways to increase customer experiences:

• Verify – if it wasn’t written it wasn’t said
• Trust but verify
• Check again, again and again
• Stop surveying, go see and listen and listen again
• Audit – internal but also hire third-party advisors to guide, arbitrate
• Hold customer conferences, meetups, user groups and events

There are other ways to engage with customers, you just need to put yourself in their moccasins, envision their daily struggles and then work to make their jobs, career and companies they work for better.  Customers don’t want to face an RGE or resume generating event, losing their job buying and using your solution. There are far too many often funny quips that customers said during the interviewers such as “what I really want to get more sleep at night,” “no more after-hours calls from my boss,” “can’t my boss just fix it himself (LOL),” “wish the DFU’s would just leave us alone, we have so much tech to do.” and many more.

Summary – Providers often pretend if they ignore the problem it will just go away or the customer will just stop calling.  Clearly these customer “business models” may work for now but are they really viable in the future as the technology and the market changes.  “Flying to the crash” was advised decades ago by a great sales leader when faced with a customer crisis.  That advice could have certainly worked for Boeing today, as customers, pilots, stakeholders, press and the millions of customers may just stop flying on their airplanes as their reputation is likely damaged forever.  The decision is up to you today to be what you are tomorrow and thereafter.

You can also watch the two-minute video overview of this part of the onsite course.

This concept is presented exclusively in TMCnet Selling UP Market UP Margin Technology to SMB & Enterprise Certification class at ITEXPO / MSP Expo.

Come to the Digital Transformation Event! Feb 11-14, 2020, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Register now.

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Enhanced sales communications is one of the topics presented is an Exclusive Presentation at IT/MSP Expo in the TMCnet Selling UP Market UP Margin Technology to SMB & Enterprise Certification at ITEXPO/MSPEXPO – click on image.