MEET YOUR CUSTOMERS

If you are an enterprise seller who learned the job 30 years ago, 20 years ago or even 10 years ago, the expression “field sales” will be close to your heart. These are the folks who have always been working remotely, before we even had WebEx! For one simple reason: the sales team were close to the customer. So they could visit. Meet face-to-face and understand the customer’s challenges, and help the customer understand the solution.

Yet today, I find myself continuously reminding sellers to MEET THEIR CUSTOMERS. Covid and lockdown pushed us all behind the screen and suddenly it felt very efficient to work via Zoom, GMeet, Teams,… And it is. No planes, trains or automobiles, no wasted travel time, no direct expense.

But it is incredibly inefficient in the long run. Virtual meetings are soul destroying. They do not allow us to build relationships. We cannot read the body language. We cannot show how much we care by dedicating ourselves to the customer.

It is a tired cliche that buying/selling is like a romantic relationship: first we court (does anyone use that word anymore?), then we get married, and we hope we don’t need to get divorced. But tired as the cliche is, it is still valid.

Would you marry someone you haven’t met face-to-face many times? Do you believe you would know someone’s personality, how much they’re interested in you, how much you can trust them? Without meeting them frequently?

We should we expect that customers, who are about to invest in a product which will have significant impact on their company and their career, will be much more comfortable if they have met us – not just an individual seller but other key members of the team.

I even see examples of sellers who are in the same city as the customer and have never met.

So, allow me to jump up and down on my pedestal: GO VISIT YOUR CUSTOMERS. Make opportunities to get to their cities. Take senior folks to engage. Don’t wait until they invite you. Don’t wait until you're close to signature. Get there early in the cycle. Make sure they know that you care and that you bring value. Think about it for every meaningful engagement – should I visit?