Go Skills Cafe’s Post

Are you leaning too heavily on customer interviews to make product decisions? It might not be the best way to grow your product. Here's an experiment you can try this week to find out.

For 90% of prospects I talk to about customer stories, their first instinct is to send a questionnaire. They think it’s a lighter lift for the customer. But it’s the opposite. No one wants to fill out a questionnaire. Plus, questionnaires lack the creative alchemy of a conversation. You can't follow up on answers. You can't clarify questions. You can't reflect on your customer’s ideas and help them think. So you’re left with a bunch of half-baked answers. Or you have to play email ping pong to flesh out an idea. Not such a light lift. Which side—questionnaire or conversation—are you on and why? ______   P.S. If you need help running a customer interview to get a compelling story angle, send me a DM and I’ll share how I can help you with that.

I saved my client, a CPA firm, from losing nearly half their book of business. 😮   Here’s how I did it. 😉   I had been asked to interview the firm’s top clients. It was one part customer satisfaction and one part competitive analysis.   Through the 1:1 interviews I conducted I learned what the firm did especially well but was a bit unaware of (its superpower), what it needed to improve on and how it compared to other firms in quality of work, reputation, etc.   I also asked about unmet needs and potential new service offerings.   Why do interviews? Why not just send a survey?    Because interviews allow for follow-up and in-depth discussion. Surveys are best for getting answers that are straightforward with no ambiguity.   Also, surveys that companies create internally are usually too long and poorly worded, so respondents either ignore them or the responses end up being of little value.   Anyway, one particular client of the firm was worth nearly half the firm’s annual revenue. And they weren’t happy.   They told me they’d dropped hints to the firm about this but felt the firm wasn’t being responsive. They were thinking of leaving the firm and made it a point of asking me to report that back to the firm.   While I’d normally provide my findings and recommendations after all the interviews were completed, I immediately called the managing partner to report what I learned. He was surprised as he thought everything was great.   Turns out he had a case of “happy ears,” meaning he was hearing the good things but not the warning signs.   He took immediate action and got things back on track with this client and started regular check-in calls with all clients.    The end result is that the firm was able to improve client satisfaction while growing revenue and customer lifetime value (CLV). ____________   Are you spending too much time replacing customers instead growing the ones you already have? Do you REALLY know what your clients think of you?    Get in front of problems by asking the hard questions. I can help. #revenuegrowth #b2b #customersatisfaction

I posted this as a comment and had 7 people ask me for it, so for my network, here ya go. I have been able to exceed quota every month by doing the following: Tracking all activity and doing the math to see how many calls and emails are required to hit my goal. Activity is the ONLY thing you can control as a BDR (quality + quantity). Track every call dialed, answered, and every meeting booked from a call, every email sent, opened, replied, and meetings booked from an email. 1)Call-connect rate (shows my how strong your data integrity is & if you need to improve your prospecting + allows A/B testing to see what times of day are best to call) 2)Connects-meeting rate (shows your effectiveness on phone and allows you to A/B test objection handles and openers) 3)Call-meeting rate (can work backwards from your meeting goal to see exactly how many calls I need to make per day / per month to hit your goal) Being able to see your metrics takes the stress off of hitting your numbers and allows you to see everything as inputs (things you can control). I've included the spreadsheet I put together with all the formulas already inputted so you too can up your game! For job seekers: If you can learn to implement this in your job hunt, your HMs will be BLOWN AWAY (free guide on how to do this as a job seeker in comments). My manager Brian J. Hammond and all my coworkers are blown away by this, so imagine what interviewers will think about you! What other tools, resources, or actions have you seen contribute to top performing sales reps? https://lnkd.in/grAB8Wun #BDR #SDR #jobhacks #sales #salestips

🔍 Customer Research & Analysis: Unlock the Secrets to Success! 🗝️ When was the last time you truly listened to your customers? 🤔 Why do they choose you as their go-to service or product provider? Understanding their motivations, feelings, likes, and dislikes is key to elevating your business! At CWM, we get it—small businesses are our passion because we ARE one! Business owners often rely on guesswork, but we dig deeper to uncover what your customers really think. Our tailored research approach provides invaluable insights into your customers’ needs, habits, and desires. Through in-person meetings, focus groups, online surveys, or phone interviews, we help you gain a comprehensive understanding of your customers’ behaviours and preferences. This data empowers you to position your company effectively and strengthen your brand. Ready to transform your business with real customer insights? Connect with us to learn more! 👉 https://buff.ly/4fQ9pVB 💼✨ #CustomerResearch #BusinessGrowth #CWM #KnowYourCustomers

📣 SURVEY SAYS! 📣 Last week, we wanted to know people’s thoughts on the most common cold call objection. 44% of you voted for “I’m not interested” 🙅 At first glance, this type of objection can seem like a total brush-off. We spoke with Chris Ritson, Co-Founder of The SDR Leader, and he revealed something pretty interesting: “When a rep is faced with not interested - get some context on why they’re not interested - it could be because they’re not interested right now. In 3 months, things could change, for instance.” “That's really high impact for SDRs and AEs building pipeline, especially in a financial market like this, where actually a greater proportion of people are ‘not right nows’ - for a bit longer until the market bounces.” “It comes back to how you’re responding to your prospect, so you can get context and make a solid decision on whether it’s a no/never contact again or not interested.” The key takeaway? Understand where in the conversation the objection is coming up. And decipher whether it’s a complete no, or if there’s scope to book a meeting further down the line 💥

Talk to your customers and they'll talk back. Customers can offer valuable insights to help you create more effective content and drive revenue. But how exactly do you conduct customer research? 🤔 This blog has all of the details. You can even steal our interview questions. Customer research is a must in today's market where surface-level content isn't enough to get results. Instead, you need to prove your company's trustworthiness and expertise by answering your audience's most pressing questions and offering useful insights. We'll walk you through: ✅ Types and methods of customer research ✅ How to do customer research ✅ Sample customer interview questions ✅ How to use your findings to drive business growth Visit the link in our comments for the full guide. #b2bmarketing #customerresearch #contentmarketing

What research are you putting into your customer success stories? It’s easy to fall back on your own team’s experiences. They know the ins and outs of your product and the customers who use it. But here’s the catch — if you want your customer stories to resonate, they need more than just an insider’s perspective. That’s where a structured process comes in. Gather insights directly from the source — your customers — and back them up with internal data (if you have it). Here’s how I like to approach it: - Start with your internal team: I like to start with a 30-minute chat or a detailed brief to get my mind around the project and the end goal. That way, I don't go into a customer interview asking what services they received or what products they purchased. - Take the time for customer interviews: Direct conversations uncover the real impact of your solution and give you those authentic, memorable quotes. You can also use these insights to narrow down your target audience and improve sales. - Look at your product data: Metrics like efficiency gains or cost savings add weight to the story and prove value in a way that words alone can’t. By blending these perspectives, you’ll craft a #customerstory that builds trust and proves the value of your company in a way that resonates. #CaseStudies shouldn't just tell the story... They should tell why the story matters.

The reason why you are not closing clients, (Even if you are working all the time) You are not listening. Let me explain. I was working with a client, There was a restlessness in him, and because of that he couldn’t be calm. And this was reflecting in his closing calls. He was unable to be attentive enough, to understand the prospect deeply. Because of that he wasn’t able to respond properly. But this changed, when he trained his Mind to be more calm & focused. Now he started - listening more attentively without any restlessness, - asking deep questions, - analyze data fast - respond with key insights I could feel the happiness with which he was sharing with me, that this helped him close more clients. This is what gives me fulfillment! Share your thoughts below in comment. _____________________________________________ Want more Secrets to Grow your #Business by Simplifying #Mind? Click ‘Visit my Website’ above ↑

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