The customer has spoken, as documented in my last article.
The key points are:
- The (expert) human touch
- Defined services with value and cost
- No more pricing shell games
Today is the human touch.
Think of a 3 part story — dating, engagement, and marriage. Write an account where you and the customer take it to the next level of building trust. Or plan on a divorce.
Part 1: Date with skilled advanced sales support.
Define and hire key experts defining an elite group. Hardware and software take specific disciplines. There is no real “full-stack engineer.” Electrical, Thermals, Mechanicals, Software, Security. Each of these skills requires particular resources and knowledge. Seed the customer and internal departments with knowledge lead by these specialists. Their KPI, build trust first and products second. Create a technical partnership with clear lines of communication, both internally and externally. The best-case scenario is getting a Design in Win.
Part 2: Build engagement with skilled execution leadership that customers can trust after the contract is signed.
Define team leads within the organization with indirect reporting to the elite team. Facilitate a culture of individuals that aspire to join the elite group for advancement. Go further and align incentives by allowing elite members to bonus team leads as a percent of total compensation. These team leads are essential in transitioning success from pre-sales to post-sales success. Empower open lines of communication that remain open at all times. These key roles are critical for daily operations and success. They also feedback possible improvements that could further enhance the elite team’s ongoing sales efforts.
Part 3: Marry it all up with long term support
Customers are afraid of commitment. It’s a marriage for them. They never want to hear; “My spouse is very married”. Change is hard, time-consuming and costly. The problem with manufacturing today is the lack of clarity and support as the contract/marriage drags on. Be clear and design new contracts that define and enable long term support. Invest in departments and people that own the product and customer experience. Embed these roles and responsibilities into a diagnostic and maintenance contract framework. Think of it like premium vs standard service. Link the elite teams, team leads, and support specialists into a vertical set of roles that reinforce one another and maintain open lines of communication. Always channel these through the account owner to preserve account integrity, but don’t lose the open and frank cross-departmental value that is created. These mainline and long term assets should be tied to a clearly defined service that is outlined in this premium contract with your customer.
Kick this all off with an existing customer and contract review. Discover what needs to change in current engagements and should be written into new contracts.
- What will allow you to discuss valuable insights with your entire company and customer base?
- What cultural aspects need to change?
Determine if your DNA is damaged and if employees have learned to shut down vs shout out. If you have created a culture that no longer reflects the market and its needs, change it. Example: “We don’t build a brand we build other brands.” If you are building products, you are making a brand. So change the culture or stop building products.
