Let’s continue examining: how well does the visual scaffolding of the customer journey support the CS practitioner’s experiences and help guide our future actions?
The first two parts of this series examined 1) customer-centricity and Awareness, and 2) the in-between spaces and Education.
Today’s focus: Selection and friction.
The Selection phase has historically been the realm of Sales, a specialist with two responsibilities:
Help the customer make a decision, and
Carry the cognitive load as the project manager to fulfill the requirements necessary to get the contract signed such that parties are committed to the relationship.
Sales is a resource to help customers navigate available solutions and select one which best solves the customer’s problems.
Sales helps customers navigate the tyranny of too much choice when trying to make a selection. Ever get trapped by too much choice in the cereal aisle or when shopping for a computer monitor? It’s worse when it’s $30K+ software. Customer-centric Selection variables include: competition, brand, risk, cultural match, price, timing, technology stack, features, need, time to value, availability to support as an extension of the customer’s team, etc.
And the not-so-customer-centric elephant in the room variable: Sales gets paid in proportion to the dollar amount they close.
Enter the friction. There is a magnificent creative conflict at the Selection phase; Sales is incentivized to close deals now; CS is motivated to grow and retain long term relationships. Without first dates, there are no relationships. Not all first dates become relationships. And in recurring revenue businesses, first dates that don’t convert at high enough rates into long term relationships can create drag on growth – or worse, they can cause the business to shrink. For now, it is enough to acknowledge that Customers, CS practitioners, and Sales experience this friction in the Selection phase. Let’s plan to revisit this topic another time, and address questions like: what is our current best understanding of how best to navigate this creative conflict? How can we surface our experiences to keep learning so we can do better for the customer, the company, and our colleagues?
Spotlight back on the customer and the question-answer pair of the Selection phase. How might we help the customer from here to there? What are we currently doing to make it obvious, attractive, and easy for customers to enter into a relationship with us? Where are the opportunities to make it even better?
CS Practitioner -
Surface Customer Success Qualified Leads (CSQLs) – opportunities that CS uncovers where an educated buyer is ready to purchase. A great example, current customer-buyer leaves one company and desires to bring the solution with her to the new company.
Be present in the late stages of the closing process. Whether in person or with collateral, help the customer visualize the upcoming transition from expectations to reality. You will be on the journey with them. Show them the plan. Mutual success awaits.
Reference calls connect current customers with people in the Selection phase to help de-risk their upcoming decision that our company is the best-fit solution for their problem.
Besides Sales, who else at our company is helping customers get from here to there?
Leadership - sometimes, to get the deal across the line, there is nothing like talking to the founders or senior leadership. These conversations offer the customer reassurance of a cultural fit and the company’s willingness to put in the work necessary to be in a healthy relationship.
How might we team up internally to improve our ability to help the customer get from here to there? Have we had this conversation with our colleagues in Marketing, Sales/SDR, Leadership, etc?
I’m interested in helping customers select our solution to solve their problems. It feels like an area of overlap between us. How is what I’m doing today helping you? What could I do to make it better?
Ask our Sales colleagues - what is your peak moment with Customer Success? What is your pit moment with Customer Success? What is being modeled at the top: can we both state the three most important aspects of how Sales and CS work together at our company? Has, or how has, it evolved over time?
Acknowledge the friction between company goals and motivations and individual incentives. Commit to getting curious and working through the creative conflict with Sales, Leadership, CS, and customers. Some current attempts include: Sales/CS handoffs, the Pod approach, incentivizing Sales on renewals/LTV, CSQLs, ideal customer or ideal relationship profiles, Chief Revenue Officers, etc.
Two questions today: How have you helped customers commit to selecting your solution? How have you taken action to address the friction?