Help your customer with strategizing 2024

Yes, coming back to your workspace or working rhythm after a relaxing Christmas and New Year’s break is, for many salespeople, a time to ‘settle in’ again. Many are contacting their top customers to wish them a Happy New Year and have a quick catch-up. What an excellent opportunity to switch gears with an agenda that resonates with your Customers’ priorities:

• Help with their strategy 2024.

Everyone’s Agenda

Every business will have their budget for 2024 by now. These are often calculated based on a past performance matrix and forecasted economic growth. Although these growth suggestions and plans were made during last year’s quarter, many managers rarely have this figured out by the time they wish everyone a Happy New Year. The truth is that many are looking for new ideas. They know that solely counting on revenue from loyal customers and hoping for an economic bounce-back is not the right strategy. These challenges are currently on every manager’s agenda.

Influence their Buying Process

In theory, it is no rocket science. To be successful right from the start in January, your focus is figuring out how to influence your customers to speak with you about their 2024 goals and chosen strategy. But, in practice, what is the advice on approaching that?

My recommendation is simple. Look at the Why Change components of the buying process and turn these into practical Selling with the Buyer’s Perspective language. Then engage with your Stakeholders with what matters to them:

• Receive Feedback
• Review Decision
• Identify Improvements

Receive Feedback

You must trust that January is a typical month where Customers look at several KPIs, including your performance. How can you help? First, by simply providing them with a service performance report. If there were any deviations from standard performance, ensure you can explain the reasons. Use this feedback to create trust and strengthen the relationship.

But that is not the only value you should deliver. Here, you accelerate and start talking about their business:

• Customers are always keen to know what else is out there regarding trends and ideas and, in particular, what other similar Customers have done to overcome challenges and leverage from trends.

They need this feedback from you so they can verify this against their chosen strategy for 2024. Prepare a few good stories about other customers you have helped with growing their business and are relevant to each of your customer’s situations. Ensure they are about growth ideas, like:

How improving CX can be your next strategic growth:

• 86% of customers are willing to spend more for a better customer experience
• Companies that excel in CX grow revenue 4-8 per cent above their market.
• 72% of customers will share a positive experience with 6 or more people.
• On the other hand, if a customer is unhappy, 13% of them will share their experience with 15 or even more.

Or, help them with growth ideas that may not be at all on their current agenda:

• How having a “Sustainability Strategy” firm on their roadmap may attract new customers
• How leveraging SMEs trends may set them apart from their competitors

Review Decisions

Understand their strategy for 2024, share insights and tell stories to influence their perspective. Your objective is for them to discover something they may have overlooked. Use the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) or FOWI (Fear Of What If) as discussion triggers.

FOMO and FOWI are powerful ways for sales executives to fulfil customer validation needs. Their initial interest is not in whether your products, services, and solutions will be a fit for what they think they need. No, they first would like to validate with you if you have seen similar changes in the market and industry as they did or something different. After all, you, as a sales executive, are meeting with similar businesses in the same industry with similar challenges – so you are becoming another source for them to be up-to-date with the latest trends.

Identify Improvements

Once your Stakeholder has reviewed and shared your insights with their colleagues, they are ready for more. They want to know what improvements you can deliver. The biggest challenge for salespeople is, at this stage, not to talk about your solutions. Instead, it is your stakeholder that should make the discovery. Keep your focus on what outcome your business idea could deliver and what solution criteria are needed for that. For example, use questions like

• What delivery experience is your end customer looking for?
• What experience should your end customer have to ensure they buy again?

Have no fear; they will know the answers, although it is often a wish list. And a small voice is whispering that achieving all that will cost them more. Ensure there is consensus in the buying room on the solution criteria needed. You may have to share more insights and more stories.

In Summary

B2B buying is complex, and managers responsible for strategies are hungry for insights. Trusted Advisors are strategic thinkers, and that is what your customers expect from you. Use this time of the year to have a business conversation where you show that you can help shape their 2024 strategy.