I wish my Customers were like my Farmville™ crops!
Article by Cale Helmer (Business Development Trainer - OnPath). Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Why can’t B2B Customers be more like Farmville™ crops? If they were, I could plant the exact type of Customer I wanted. I could simply pop them in the ground, walk away and come back in a few hours to reap the benefits of a job well done. I could even trade those Customers away that didn’t yield a good return on my investment. Easy as pie…..well….easy as corn or beets or barley.
The simple fact of the matter is, B2B customers will never be as easy to manage as a virtual crop on a game like Farmville™. We live in the real world that requires attention to detail, patience and experience to truly cultivate something of value. But what if we applied principles learned in a virtual game to our real world sales relationships? How would that apply?
Well, let’s look at the facts:
1) Strategically map out where you should “sow your seeds”. In this case, we need to be in tune with current trending, demand generation and lead nurturing. Planting a ‘crop’ on unfertile land will only end in heartache no matter how much blood, sweat or tears you poor into it.
2) Take care not to overplant or under-sow or your efforts will be in vain. Overextending ourselves and our abilities may cause us to not reach our end goal. Not committing enough to the cause though may result in less than stellar ROI; both circumstances leading to potentially disappointed customers.
3) Don’t get distracted with flashy by-products or side games. Stick to the plan. Don’t get distracted with all the sidebar items that could stem from the initial interaction. Keep the deal simple and tangible. Additional sales appointments will come into the Sales Funnel in due time, provided the initial ‘crop’ yields a solid ROI.
4) Share the wealth of your bountiful crop! If you’ve been successful in apply new methods to the sale, tell the world about it! Let the community know what worked and what didn’t. Let interested parties tap into that vein of success. It might just help them with their call center outsourcing or telesales requirements.
While it may seem like a simplistic approach to handling complex requirements, let’s not overlook the similarities that the game has to offer in contrast to the methods we currently use as Sales and Marketing Experts. At day’s end, whether you’re hanging up your shovel and work gloves, or turning off your Smartphone and laptop, one would hope that you’ve accomplished something to be proud of. Whether Plow Driver or Field Rep, hang in there Farmer…and keep on planting!
Article by Cale Helmer (Business Development Trainer - OnPath). Connect with him on LinkedIn.