The Modern Customer Focused Organisation
Here’s the thing: We all assume that everybody “knows” how to operate, trade or even just interact digitally in 2019. We expect that when we engage, those providing us with Customer Experience know what “good” genuinely looks like and “exemplary” is de-rigueur. However, recent experience suggests that none of the above is correct. A couple of weeks ago, I spent many hours trying to check in to my (connecting) flight with little (actually no) success. When I finally managed to get onto the multi screen scraped “app”, it transpired that my flight had been cancelled after all. I called the designated (preferred, metal ranked, membership orientated) customer helpline, and it appeared that nothing could be done, even though we were well into the evening, the day before the “stupid o’clock” connecting flight. After significant effort researching alternatives, we decided to drive, three hours, 0520 start. Joy.
Radio 5 is truly dire at that time of day, trust me. Radio X has ads you really don’t want to hear at 0530 on a Sunday morning and Radio 4? Wow! That really is a specialist audience! I wasn’t in the mood for Wham’s Club Tropicana on Absolute 80s and my wife highlighted, that for the avoidance of doubt, she wasn’t tolerating The Smiths on Spotify regardless of Morrissey’s alleged irony.
The point though is though it could have been so much better. I really shouldn’t name the recalcitrant airline, but, British Airways, where are you in 2019? Are you still “partying” like its 1999? If you aren’t, your digital experience most certainly is.
We need more experts
And so it goes. I am now calling on my sales experience since I joined the ranks of “consultative experts” a couple of months ago. (if you must hire one, make sure it’s the right one, with demonstrable field experience I was told recently). You’ll be pleased to learn that I am focusing on the obvious; the basics, of how to find, nurture, secure, nurture again, expand and grow your customers and make sure they are delivered, but with a modern spin. So, what do I see out there in my objective, real world?
Social
Social media strategies are often quite dated and designed for your gran at best. LinkedIn profiles look like most garage’s you will ever see (and as I have just cleared ours out, I know these things); accumulated clutter from the past 20 years with little order, usefulness but above all, lacking in uniqueness or relevance. I never knew the business world had so many talented people. There are a huge number of “charismatic… self motivated…driven and successful leaders” out there. Awesome.
Then we get to marketing. Nothing worse than going “one tournament too far”, and crashing and burning early as South Africa demonstrated in the recent cricket World Cup. Keep up with the times, move on or you will cease to be relevant or effective. There are a lot of marketers out there clinging on to the sins of past as part of a hit and hope strategy. It worked 5 years ago, so of course it works today.
Buy your leads
PPC, (the crack cocaine of the modern marketer) can become the centre piece of lead generation if you are not careful. If in doubt spend more cash. Kneeling at the feet of mammon called Google absolutely delivers “results”, but my word it can be expensive. Once addicted, it’s difficult to break the cycle, just in case nothing else provides that “high”. There are other complimentary ways; organic lead generation via SEO anybody?
Blogs
If in doubt, transmit: feature/ function first with anodyne “professionally written content”, because that’s how we all purchase, Isn’t it? Well no actually. In a B2B world there has to be value, benefit even. Almost certainly something in return. You invest a pound, I’ll give you a blue, (plastic these days) five pound note in return. But most use cases fail to highlight that. Where a documented reference case exists, it would seem that quite often, ROI must never be included. Ever.
Recruitment and Management of the Modern Sales Exec
Then we get to the sales organisation. Recruit right is obvious, but it’s hard to get right. We all get it wrong and repent at leisure later. I certainly have, usually when I ignore my own “tried and tested” approach. Aside from coaching and management of the individual, (there are lots of advocated methods out there advising you how to do this) structure and process are key, together with the right KPIs. We all like to know where we are, how we are progressing, particularly in sales.
Sure, we would love an environment where we we just “let them get on with it” and “smother them with love”. (That’s what your Customer Facing execs really prefer). Free spirits many of them. The reality is though that doesn’t work. Do you think Oasis would have written “Wonderwall” if they were given a month of studio time and an instruction to “do what you think is best when you feel like it”?If you have self motivated superstars like Martin Tate, Ken MacLennan or Andy Brown then you really don’t need to worry. They’ll probably tell you what the right KPIs are! For the majority though, the mere mortals in your team, you need to measure, inspect on occasion and be sure the right things are happening. If you don’t, I’ll wager they probably won’t succeed, and sadly neither will you.
So, I probably haven’t told you anything you didn’t already know, haven’t seen and you may even know already what “best practice” looks like. However, I’ll bet ( my father was a compulsive gambler whose annual vacation to enjoy Cheltenham Gold Cup week usually coincided with my University exams and I have some of his genes), that It’s highly likely that you aren’t doing a lot of this already despite the fact you really know that you should.
Lose the fork and buy some spoons. You know it makes sense.
What do you think? let me know.
