Customer-Centric Business Approaches

A prospect tells you: "We’re also looking at [Competitor]." Most reps make one of two mistakes: - They panic and start discounting before the customer even asks. - They attack the competitor, thinking that will win trust. The best reps? They guide the conversation...without badmouthing or getting defensive. Here’s how we teach folks to do it at Sales Assembly: 1) Find the gap. Instead of “We’re better because…” ask: “What made you start looking in the first place? What’s missing today?” This gets them to focus on their pain, not a feature battle. 2) Understand their criteria. Instead of “Why are you considering them?” ask: “What’s most important to you in a solution?” You want them defining success in your playing field. 3) Focus on fit, not features. Instead of “We’re better at X,” ask: “What’s been standing out to you in each option so far?” If they highlight something critical you do better, that’s your opening. 4) Help them think ahead. Instead of “They don’t do [X] like we do,” say: “A lot of teams in your space have prioritized [X] because it impacts [Y]. How are you thinking about that?” This frames the conversation around outcomes - not a feature war. 5) Guide the decision process. Instead of “Who’s your front-runner?” ask: “What’s your process for narrowing down options?” If they don’t have a clear decision path, they’re likely to stall. 6) Make the decision feel easy. Instead of “How can we win this deal?” ask: “If you had to make a decision today, what would give you confidence?” This surfaces final concerns...so you can remove them. The goal isn’t to beat competitors. It’s to help buyers feel confident that choosing you is the right move.

Old Way = Look at the Sales funnel by department New Way = Look at the Sales funnel by buyer intent (how the buyer entered the sales funnel) Historically, each department is measured by the blended performance of the “leads” they source with direct software-attribution. This model incentives getting the most “leads” and the lowest cost, not to drive *revenue & and sales productivity. Marketing runs lead gen to first-touch attribution on as many contacts as possible to game attribution. It doesn’t actually drive customers to want to buy but appeases their outdated attribution models circa 2012. Planning and forecasting breaks down because they blend content syndication leads that close at 0.1% with declared intent demo requests that win at 8%. Their old school “demand waterfall” model breaks like cheap glass. Departments (Sales, Marketing, SDRs) fight over credit instead of working together because that’s how teams are measured and budgets are set. It’s such an outdated model and a core driver of sales/marketing misalignment and other overall GTM problems. Smart companies want to adopt an “All-Bound” model because they see this clear problem in their business, but need a new framework to measure success & make strategy adjustments. Here’s how to make it happen: 1. Look at what GTM motion CAPTURED the demand (what was the trigger for how the buyer entered the pipeline). These are called “pipeline sources”. 2. These pipeline sources are a surrogate for **buyer intent** and will much better predict sales efficiency metrics like win rate, sales cycle length, and pipeline velocity. 3. Build a separate attribution model (e.g. self-reported attribution) to characterize what programs are CREATING the demand. 4. Use this data to OPTIMIZE your entire revenue strategy, not determine binary credit to teams, departments, and budgets. Implementing this framework will: 1. Drive significantly better alignment between all GTM teams 2. Have all teams WORKING TOGETHER, not fighting each other for “credit” 3. Create an entirely new view for Revenue leaders and strategists to make far better decisions & strategy improvements 4. Dramatically improve your revenue planning and forecasting accuracy. 5. Clearly show you where to FOCUS and clearly show you what to STOP doing. It’s 2023. Every department (Sales, Marketing, SDRs, Customer Success, etc.) contributes to every closed won customer. Because of this, B2B companies need to establish a holistic, objective, comprehensive view of their entire GTM performance. #b2b #revenue #sales #marketing #gtm

If 2024 taught us anything about Cold Email, it’s this: 👇 General ICP Outreach isn’t enough to drive results anymore. With deliverability getting tougher every day, there’s only one way to make outbound work: → Intent-Based Targeting Here’s how we do it at SalesCaptain to book 3x more demos ⬇️ Step 1️⃣ Identify High-Intent Triggers The goal? Find prospects showing buying signals. ✅ Website visits – Someone browsing pricing or case studies? (We use tools like RB2B, Leadfeeder, and Maximise.ai). ✅ Competitor research – Tools like Trigify.io reveal when prospects engage with competitor content. ✅ Event attendance – Webinar attendees or industry event participants often explore new solutions. (DM me for a Clay template on this) ✅ Job changes – Platforms like UserGems 💎 notify us when decision-makers start new roles (a prime buying window). ⚡️ Pro Tip: Categorize triggers: → High intent: Pricing page visits → Medium intent: Engaging with case studies This helps prioritize outreach for faster conversions. Step 2️⃣ Layer Intent Data with an ICP Filter Intent data alone isn't enough, you need to ensure the right audience fit. Tools like Clay and Clearbit help us: ✅ Confirm ICP fit using firmographics ✅ Identify the right decision-makers ✅ Validate work emails ✅ Enrich data for personalized messaging ⚡️ Key Insight: Not everyone showing intent fits your ICP. Filter carefully to avoid wasted resources. Step 3️⃣ Hyper-Personalized Outreach Golden Rule: Intent without context is meaningless. Here’s our outreach formula: 👀 Observation: Reference the trigger (e.g., webinar attended, pricing page visit) 📈 Insight: Address a potential pain point tied to that trigger 💡 Solution: Share how you’ve helped similar companies solve this pain 📞 CTA: Suggest an exploratory call or share a free resource ⚡️ Pro Tip: Use tools like Twain to personalize at scale without landing in spam folders. 📊 The Results? Since focusing on intent-based outreach, we’ve seen: ✅ 3x Higher Demo Booking Rates 📈 ✅ 40% Reduction in CPL (focusing on quality over quantity) ✅ Larger Deals in the Pipeline with higher-quality prospects It’s 2025. Let’s build smarter, more profitable campaigns. 💡 Do you use intent signals in your outreach? Drop me a comment below! 👇

If your CX Program simply consists of surveys, it's like trying to understand the whole movie by watching a single frame. You have to integrate data, insights, and actions if you want to understand how the movie ends, and ultimately be able to write the sequel. But integrating multiple customer signals isn't easy. In fact, it can be overwhelming. I know because I successfully did this in the past, and counsel clients on it today. So, here's a 5-step plan on how to ensure that the integration of diverse customer signals remains insightful and not overwhelming: 1. Set Clear Objectives: Define specific goals for what you want to achieve. Having clear objectives helps in filtering relevant data from the noise. While your goals may be as simple as understanding behavior, think about these objectives in an outcome-based way. For example, 'Reduce Call Volume' or some other business metric is important to consider here. 2. Segment Data Thoughtfully: Break down data into manageable categories based on customer demographics, behavior, or interaction type. This helps in analyzing specific aspects of the customer journey without getting lost in the vastness of data. 3. Prioritize Data Based on Relevance: Not all data is equally important. Based on Step 1, prioritize based on what’s most relevant to your business goals. For example, this might involve focusing more on behavioral data vs demographic data, depending on objectives. 4. Use Smart Data Aggregation Tools: Invest in advanced data aggregation platforms that can collect, sort, and analyze data from various sources. These tools use AI and machine learning to identify patterns and key insights, reducing the noise and complexity. 5. Regular Reviews and Adjustments: Continuously monitor and review the data integration process. Be ready to adjust strategies, tools, or objectives as needed to keep the data manageable and insightful. This isn't a "set-it-and-forget-it" strategy! How are you thinking about integrating data and insights in order to drive meaningful change in your business? Hit me up if you want to chat about it. #customerexperience #data #insights #surveys #ceo #coo #ai

I am tired of hearing about sales and marketing alignment. It's an outdated narrative. Here's why: Consider this: Buyers are typically 57% to 80% of the way through their buying process (depending on which study you consult) before they even raise their hands to engage with sales. This statistic alone underscores a critical reality: The Silent Killer in Sales: Overestimating Salesperson Influence Many executive teams believe their sales heroes can close any deal, but here's the reality: Salespeople are closers, not magicians. 🪄 The concept of "alignment" implies separate entities that need to be brought together. In today's complex buying environment, this siloed approach is obsolete. Modern businesses require a seamlessly integrated revenue generation system where sales and marketing function as one cohesive unit. Strong marketing, clear value propositions, and a frictionless buying journey are crucial for success. Think of it like football - Sales is your star running back, but they need a solid offensive line (Marketing) to create opportunities long before the final play. Here's the shift we need: From siloed functions to a collaborative team environment: • Break down walls between Sales & Marketing • Work together on buyer personas, messaging, and content throughout the entire buying journey • Invest in both sides: Equip teams with necessary tools and shared metrics From "closing the deal" to "creating a winning customer experience": 👉🏽 Optimize the entire customer journey: Every touchpoint matters, especially early-stage interactions ️ 👉🏽 Focus on providing value from initial marketing outreach through to ongoing support The benefits of this integrated approach: 👉🏽 Shorter sales cycles: Well-nurtured leads convert faster 👉🏽Higher customer lifetime value: A seamless experience fosters loyalty 👉🏽 Boosted employee morale: When everyone's on the same team, magic happens Let's move beyond "alignment" and embrace true integration. Sales and Marketing are different positions on the same field, working in unison to drive revenue and achieve championship-level results in today's buyer-driven landscape. #sales #b2b #marketing #culture #customerexperience #leadership

The ceiling of your outbound success is your company’s marketing engine. The future of outbound is... Drumroll...wait for it... Getting back to basics: sales & marketing alignment. My clients who experience the best outbound results have world-class marketing teams. And here's how they work better together to massively increase outbound success. 👇 ✅ 1) Customer snippet bank Create a bank of 2-3 sentence customer story snippets with: - Customer name - Industry and size of business - Personas - Problem statement - Result/outcome - The transformation Reps will LOVE marketing for this. This can be repurposed for cold emails, talk tracks, discovery conversations, demos, etc. ✅ 2) “The offer you can’t refuse” Increase the value prospects get in return for their time. Make prospects feel silly for turning a meeting down. My best clients lead with free website audits. They secret shop the prospect. They share world-class industry reports. They experience the brand. Teach don't take. ✅ 3) Collaboration with customers and prospective customers Create world-class content with your customers (AKA your prospect's peers). Get them on webinars, create ebooks, share short video snippets, etc. Don't make the content a big pitch about you. Make it valuable in and of itself. Then have reps send tailored, 1:1 outreach to check out the content. Adam Robinson calls this Inbound-Led Outbound. ✅ 4) Marketing: Ride shotgun with sales for a day It can work in the opposite way as well with sales. One of my best clients had 3-5 folks from the marketing team in the oubound workshops I led. Marketers...that's right...marketers...were learning how to cold call, handle objections, and had to role play with reps. Make sure both parties understand what it takes to do their job. ✅ 5) Build a messaging team Last but not least—assemble a team of 5-10 of the best reps, marketers, and sales leaders. Folks that really know the personas inside and out. Involving both marketing and sales punches up marketing messaging by making it "sales-ready." Instead of slide deck on new messaging, you get ready-made sequences, talk tracks, sales collateral, etc. ~~~ Want more ideas like these? Join me, Jen Allen-Knuth, Will Aitken, Sarah Reece 🥇, Doug Davidoff & Todd Clouser next Wednesday IN-PERSON at Outbound@Inbound in Boston. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eUv5gFBt

I cannot tell you the horror stories I’ve heard from buyers about coming in with a super high-intent inbound and being forced sit through 1-2 initial meetings where there was zero value for the customer. The call was solely for the benefit of the selling company trying to “qualify” when the buyer came in ready to buy I want us to take a step back and really think about what this process looks like from the outside. Here I am, someone interested in a solution. I reached out to the sales organization to learn more Then I got handed to someone for an initial conversation who just asked me a bunch of questions and then when they described the product, it wasn't tailored to my needs. Every...and I mean every B2B company needs to embrace customer journey paths that triage buyers as fast as possible and match the customer's desired path I’m going to introduce an easy concept here that will help you to understand what real intent looks like with the concept of Vetted, Educated and Cold. Vetted: At least 5 of the below Have met with a competitor or reviewed their offerings online Have researched your offering via a peer or online resource Have an understanding of pricing Have a clear business outcome they are looking to achieve Have a clear timeline Have already defined the evaluation process They do not have to be a decision maker Educated: Must have completed these three Have researched your offering via a peer or online resource Have a clear business outcome they are looking to achieve Have a clear timeline They do not have to be a decision maker Cold: Have completed less than three of the criteria in Vetted The goal prior to every potential customer that we interact with that is “Cold” is to get them to be educated BEFORE we meet so they can self guide and we can meet them at this stage. This should be done digitally as much as possible. Then when you understand where someone is...you better skip the BS steps you are told "have to happen" and instead use common sense to get the right buyers through the process faster. It's 2024 - the one size fits all sales process is done. Buyers don't have time for it so start here. Start by thinking about these paths and how could your team react faster to high-intent buyers DM me or book some time and happy to talk through teams are implementing more dynamics sales processes for 2024

Something interesting happens when you use design thinking to guide your sales strategy. You actually ditch a sales process for something better: You put your customer’s customer at the heart of every discussion. Your meetings become less about convincing and more about collaborating. You’re figuring out how to redesign a better experience for their customers together. Simple in premise, but hard in practice. That’s because there’s a heavy dose of challenging orthodoxies that’s required on both sides. But business leaders are not always prepared to embrace this way of thinking. A helpful tool to break through the barrier is inverse thinking. Here’s an actual example: Our team met with a top 4 global airline to address improving the customer experience during IRROPS (Irregular Operations — like when flights get delayed due to weather delays). This causes a ton of frustration for customers and a lot of operational headaches for contact centers (the leaders we were engaged with to figure out a better way). Status quo thinking centers around “how do we optimize staffing and lower costs in these events?” Most tech companies would be more than happy to burn through tons of time and effort to explore solutions to that status quo problem. But that’s a HUGE mistake. Challenging the status quo thinking shifts the conversation back to putting the customer at the center of the design strategy, and then brainstorming on ideas to make it a business friendly pursuit, in fact, one that is better and more profitable for the business by doing so. In this particular case, we led with a bold idea: “what if we turned every IRROP into a moment of delight for your customers?” One, it broke through the clutter and established a high-contrast, emotional connection (even if it was a visceral push back). This was an important first step, because it instantly separated us from everyone else they had spoken with (so long competition). But we weren’t done yet… What came next was vital, because we had to have a logical hypothesis and framework to know this bold idea was the right move for their business and not just a big idea we were throwing out there to stand out. Otherwise we would have shattered our credibility and lost the opportunity. We had the data from other major customers to back it up. Not generic case studies, but deep mapping and a maturity model solving this very problem. The next question we asked was the key to unlocking the rest of the engagement, which culminated in a 3-year, $6M deal. Want to know what it was? [due to character limits I share it in the comments ↓] 🐝 

Using Story to Sell: This simple shift can change everything for your sales team. Because of pressures from quotas, salespeople often walk into meetings thinking about how they can get what THEY want out of it (a sale) rather than how they can help THE CUSTOMER get what they want. This will actually cause fewer sales because salespeople don't truly understand how they can help the customer overcome a problem or achieve a goal. But in reality, you and your product are the MENTOR and your customer is the HERO. In classic story archetypes, the mentor is the person who helps the hero get "unstuck". They give them a magical gift or a special tool that helps the hero forge ahead on their journey. (Think about how Obi-Wan gave Luke a lightsaber.) This is where an empathy walk becomes your secret weapon. Airbnb transformed their entire strategy after doing an empathy walk. They mapped out their customers' average day step-by-step and asked at each point: "Where does our customer get stuck? How can our product help them get unstuck?" This simple exercise revealed something crucial they'd missed...they needed a mobile-first strategy. You can apply this same principle to your sales conversations: 1. Map your customer's journey before your next meeting 2. Identify the exact moments where they struggle 3. Show how your product (the magical gift or special tool) helps them overcome these specific obstacles When you truly understand where your customer gets stuck, you can position your product as the perfect tool to help them succeed. And when you help heroes succeed, they remain loyal to you forever. #SalesTraining #EmpathyInSales #SalesStrategy

Understanding your customers’ behaviors and responding accordingly is key to sustained business success. In yesterday’s post, I introduced the Recency-Frequency Matrix, a powerful tool for customer segmentation that helps businesses identify and prioritize their most valuable customers. Today, I want to take it a step further by showcasing how this analysis can inform targeted marketing strategies to drive engagement and growth. Strategic Actions Based on the Recency-Frequency Matrix: Champions: These are your top-tier customers who purchase frequently and recently. To maintain their loyalty, consider offering early access to new products or services, implementing a robust loyalty rewards program, and sending highly personalized communications. Loyal Customers: Customers in this segment are consistent buyers but with slightly less frequency. Encourage more frequent purchases through special incentives, reminders of your product or service benefits, and targeted re-engagement campaigns. Needs Attention: These customers have shown steady engagement but may need a prompt to stay active. Reactivation campaigns with tailored offers, requesting feedback, and exclusive deals can help prevent potential churn. Churn Risk: These customers are at risk of disengagement. Win them back with significant incentives, reminders of positive past experiences, and personalized offers designed to reignite their interest in your brand. Already Churned: For customers who have not engaged for a while, occasional check-ins or updates, targeted ads for reintroduction, and a focus on acquiring new customers might be the most efficient use of resources. Leveraging a Recency-Frequency Matrix not only provides a clear view of where your customers stand but also empowers you to implement highly tailored strategies that maximize both engagement and ROI. Art+Science Analytics Institute | University of Notre Dame | University of Notre Dame - Mendoza College of Business | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | University of Chicago | D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University | ELVTR | Grow with Google - Data Analytics #Analytics #DataStorytelling