- What can be better than getting
positive feedback from a customer?
Actually, what's scarier is
what can be worst than receiving bad news from an account?
Without a doubt, the feedback we get from customers
is an important performance element
as we evaluate the success of sales people
our companies and the product or service we're selling.
In fact, it's probably at top of the list
since customer acceptance ties directly to orders we receive
which means revenue on our balance sheets.
I guess if we really wanted to streamline
the whole measurement process
we could just focus on customer feedback.
That's somewhat true but actually could be a bit misleading.
Which is why it's just a piece
of the overall performance evaluation
along with all the others we're revealing in this course.
There is some firm objective data we can get from customers
but there's also a lot of subjective feedback too.
We need to review it all before
reporting on it or making decisions.
One of the best ways to get subjective feedback goes
back to the basics of the sales process.
By assessing the situation.
Gathering information.
Asking questions and most importantly, listening.
There are many ways to do this
but here are three that I found to be effective for me.
Account visits.
You don't get feedback sitting at your desk
or mired at meetings at the corporate headquarters.
Yes, you can pick up things by email or by telephone
but nothing beats the face to face contact
with your accounts.
You can evaluate your sales person
hear from buyers about their specific request
and assess the situation in person.
Business reviews.
I've always believed that these are some
of the best meetings you can have with accounts.
Given the work to prepare for them from both sides
you're limited with how many can be scheduled.
But the open and direct feedback is worth so much.
The objective is to review the current state of the business
and find ways to grow it going forward.
So much performance information is a part of this process.
Conventions. Industry functions.
Really subjective feedback here
since you're often chatting with buyers and accounts
in casual settings, ad hoc meetings and in short timeframes.
However, you'd be amazed at what you'll hear when
people are out of their normal office settings.
Ask questions and listen.
Depending on the type of business you're in
and sales structure
surveys to customers
can provide some real objective feedback.
However there's more to this than just having
a page of questions and request for opinions.
There's a real skill to developing a survey.
Asking for the right information and how to evaluate it
and the best ways to report on it.
My recommendation is to proceed with caution
and definitely hire someone who's an expert and can assist.
I mentioned earlier that the most obvious customer feedback
comes back to tracking the sales results.
If the sales person's results are off
compared with other territories
that's a signal.
If they're always coming in second in the decision process
maybe they're weak at closing.
However this indirect objective feedback from a customer
can also be a reflection on your coaching and training
or product or service offering.
The feedback we get from customers is always valuable
and can be a very effective way to get a handle
on what's happening on sales calls.
However it's also important to account for the
many variables that can impact this feedback.
The information you request and compile is critical data
as part of our overall performance evaluation
of our sales team and business.
Asking questions and listening closely to our accounts
is an ongoing responsibility that you always must do.