Transparency as a Customer Builds a Relationship

We’re in the market for a customer feedback solution. There’s tons of them out there. After putting together a list and culling down to the “A/B” candidates, the real work begins…

• Get the stakeholders together to pull out the specs
• Scour the A/B list’s web sites to see if the specs agree
• Create the features/product spreadsheet and select the “A” candidates
• Interview them all, see their demos (hopefully some are online and less than one hour)
• SELECT two to show stakeholders, winner takes all!

Pretty typical, yet after this marathon are you getting at the core of their offerings? Probably not. At best you get a sling shot approach or the canned demo from hell. That’s just a waste of everyone’s time.

To remedy this, I suggest after selecting “A” candidates, to partner with them before they plan their demos. What, open the kimono? Big #Yes!  By engaging and being collaborative each side knows what the other is looking for – don’t worry, you can spot a con in a second. What falls out is solid information and a start to a strong relationship. Now that’s building business value, building a win.

BTW: for those who still enjoy a visit from a sales rep, my idea works here too. Communicate “the whats” and its way easier to determine which solution will best fit your organization.

I bet your “partner” answers your support calls pretty quickly too.