Customers! Customers! Customers!
The lifeblood of business. The desire of eager over-caffeinated start-ups. The pain in many a salesperson’s butt! There aren't just vanilla or plain customers, there are 5 different types. Customer engagement can lead to loyal customers or it can lead to lost sales. Learn about Inbound Marketing. Customers may come and they may go but the key to every successful company is knowing which type of buyer you are working with and engaging properly. Know thyself, know thy prospect.
The Suspect
A suspect is someone that could be a prospect but doesn’t yet possess the qualities desired in a prospect. What are those qualities? They don’t have a need currently, they don’t have money, they are too small, they are too big, or they just don’t have time for you! How your company generates leads or markets itself can vary but the fact is that customers reach out for all kinds of reasons. It’s important to qualify.
Here is where your time is ‘spent’. - Zig Ziglar, Selling 101
The Prospect
A person or company able to make a decision on the product or service you’re selling. If you market your business smartly prospects will stack up. A prospect has a need for the product or service and an ability to financially commit. These customers can be the best! (personal opinion) Enthusiastic and eager to work with you and buy from you. Use your marketing tools to enable a fluid conversation with your sales team. Sales teams talk at length about prospects and all the potential because it’s exciting and shows promise. The truly successful keep prospecting and continue to lead customers on the journey. That's engagement.
Here is where your time is ‘invested’. - Zig Ziglar, Selling 101
The Customer
Great! You sold your products or services and converted a prospect into a customer. The buyer has made a commitment, no matter how big or small it may seem, they’ve made a commitment to your company and to you and that's important. What you do next determines the path of the buyer and how good your customer engagement strategies are. Many organizations tend to relax and pat themselves on the back for closing the deal. Now's not the time to rest. The top 10% continue to keep building the momentum.
Here is where your time is ‘earned’.
The Loyal Customer
Your tribe, your crew, or your promoters. Your loyal customers. The people that drive your business, care about what you do and share it with others. It’s much much cheaper and more lucrative to keep your tribe happy. Selling more to loyal customers is, for the most part, more profitable and more efficient for businesses. This is the peak of customer relationships and satisfaction. When your organization has achieved a loyal customer, job well done. Now, do it again!
Here is where your time is ‘profitable’
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The Former Customer
The ultimate buzz kill. Your customer has decided to move on or worse, switch to a competitor! Many organizations claim to be one-and-done with sales, but this is false. Every company can and should strive for loyal customers. Customers always have needs. Always. It can seem mutually agreeable when your company has met those needs and then decides to part ways. Your goal as a company with customers is to continue to find ways of selling more and keeping relationships happy. The former customer is your chance to reflect and get better, if you don’t then you’re part of the average!
Here is where your time is ‘analyzed’.
CONCLUSION:
Go get customers and make them happy. Plain and simple. Make something or provide something that is valuable to others and make buyers want to keep working with you. Give them a reason, give them a smile, and gosh darn it, give them your best! Boom.
// Zack
At Kpahi, we believe the internet is powerful. Let's use it.
