I was working with a group of sales managers at a workshop a few weeks ago and one of them introduced this strategy. It was a very simple strategy of implementing an account plan when you didn’t have a sophisticated account planning process.
Utilize Your Markers
We know why our customers buy from us. When you present to them, you are presenting the value that they have said they want from you. Whether that’s on-time delivery, a certain price point, or speed of implementation, those will be unique to you. You document all of those markers. As the project progresses, you utilize those markers to check that you are actually delivering what the customer mentioned they want from you.
Simple, but Powerful KPIs
I know this sounds simplistic, but it is amazing how many sellers don’t check and use those markers as the KPIs for the first few months of the customer. The aforementioned sales manager said, “Shame on us if we lose the business because we didn’t execute on why the customer came to us in the first place.” And I thought, “Absolutely right!”
Document those markers when the customer starts implementing what they have bought from you. Check in 30, 60, or 90 days. In particular, I would suggest checking in every 30 days for at least six months to ensure you are delivering on the value that the customer said they wanted from you. After that, we can start to expand the value and scope and grow the customer.
