Creating a Customer for Life in Volatile Times

What if TODAY is the day that you create a customer for life?

If you’ve sold to small or mid-sized businesses, you’ve inevitably run into THAT customer who is a difficult buyer. This customer is fully dedicated to one supplier typically. They have relentless loyalty and implicit trust in this supplier.

What if TODAY is the day you create this kind of loyalty with customers? Not just “right now” loyalty, but enduring loyalty? The kind of loyalty that moves you from the price game and into the value game.

Imagine if TODAY is the day that you don’t sell what’s in your bag, but instead take the time to listen to a customer’s needs?

Rather than focusing on this week or quarter, imagine playing the long game today – listening, asking questions, empathizing, and brainstorming. Imagine bringing value TODAY that solves fundamental business challenges for tomorrow.

But how? What can YOU do? What expertise do YOU have at your disposal?

For starters, you call on your customer’s peers.

You have a line of sight into what others are doing in their space. You’ve probably seen some best practices. You also might be able to connect your customer with others facing similar challenges.

• We’ve seen sellers establish social media sites for customers

• We’ve seen factory reps going on sales calls to help customers win deals

• We’ve seen other sellers going so far as to lobby state legislature to get customers back to work
  
  

Understand what your customers need. Get creative about how you can help. Maybe it’s finding new customers, brainstorming marketing ideas, rethinking social media or online presence, strengthening virtual connections, or streamlining business. You likely won’t have all the answers or time to for the heavy lifting, but you can add value.

You have peers, too, right? Most likely they are calling on customers with similar challenges. Reach out and ask what their customers are doing.

Ask if you can add a quick conversation about this to a weekly team call. Sales managers love to see ideas “cross-pollenate” on their teams.

We’ve seen sellers working with each other to facilitate virtual “cohorts” of customers from across the country. They want to share ideas and valuable insights. It’s amazing how open customers are about sharing their strategies when they are not competing with one another.

We’ve also seen sellers working together to figure out how they can train their customers to help them be more successful.

Finally, you’ve got a leader, right?

Your leader probably has a good idea of what your company could do to support customers like yours – so ASK!

Many sellers are exploring how they can help with financing and payment terms and providing business services.

Don’t be afraid to collect creative ideas from your leader. If you have an idea that can add value for a customer, mention it.

The success of your customer’s business is critical to your success today. HOW you go about helping them can create that relentless, enduring loyalty that can yield benefits for years to come.

So, go for it! Go create lifetime loyalty by helping your customers navigate to the other side of this crazy time.

Contact us for more ways to gain customer loyalty and learn how to navigate sales organizations through volatile times.