Differentiation – Proof is in the Pudding…
Posted by Mitch McNicol on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 @ 11:59 AM
Most businesses say they care about their customers but how many provide actual value to their customers? Differentiating is all about continually proving value. Customers are more sophisticated and self sufficient than ever before, and are looking for partners that can adapt to their changing needs.
I recently attended the Sage Summit Customer Conference in Atlanta Georgia. This was my first time attending the customer event; I have previously attended the Sage Insight Partner Conferences.
I was impressed with the level of organization and professionalism put forward by Sage and its representatives. There were many valuable and interesting sessions to attend, and as always, great business and personal development insight.
The part I enjoyed the most was having the chance to interact with customers and end-users and really get a feel for how they are using Sage products, what pain-points need to be addressed, not only at a product level, but more importantly at a business partner level.
Many of the comments that I heard were related to relationships or lack there of with business partners; how many business partners did not provide services and professional knowledge that was of value to their organization.
I had a chance to really get to know a couple of our customers and start to build a relationship not only at a professional level, but at a personal level. I came away with a much better understanding of what they valued personally and professionally.
My conversations reinforced my belief that we are doing things the way they should be done. Customers should always know their investment before work is even started, end users should have a complete working knowledge of their system before we finish, the work performed should be guaranteed and ALL interactions should be mutually rewarding (win/win) for both the customer and the business partner and are able to provide measurable value to their organization.
Ask your current business partner these questions...
Will I know my investment before I start...GUARANTEED?
Is my investment a fixed fee...GUARANTEED?
Do you offer a 100% money back GUARANTEE?
Will I know how to use my system...GUARANTEED?
If the answer to any of these questions is something other than YES, maybe it's time to take a look at something different.
The success of our customers, leads to our success, and meeting a customer's expectation is no longer enough, we need to be different, and we are!