If You’re Not Listening, You’re Missing Sales

IF YOU’RE NOT

LISTENING, YOU’RE

MISSING SALES

CHANNELINSTINCTS.COM

Creating relevance

by hearing what your

customer wants


• Relevance is hearing what your customer is

looking for

• And crossing that with insights you've drawn from your

knowledge of the category

HOW CAN YOU CREATE RELEVANCE?


• Use this simple 4-step process of engaging your

customers early and often

• Transform your customer meetings into relationships that

are more strategic and more proactive

HOW CAN YOU CREATE RELEVANCE?


INSPIRE

• It all starts with inspiring your

customer that you have a solution

that will reach their goals

faster

• This stage is one of exploration and mutual goal-

setting

• You are beginning to create a reputation for delivering

results


STEPS TO INSPIRE

• Share who you are

• Explain where you are going – this

is critical to share a larger vision

for the category and how you plan

on driving it

• Learn where they are going so you can share your

goals together

• Inspire your customer to partner

• Begin laying the foundation that you will deliver on

your promises


INVESTIGATE

• You need to know your

customers better than

they know themselves

• This step is where you begin seeking early customer

feedback and build alignment

• You are recruiting your customer as a partner in

development


STEPS TO INVESTIGATE

• To create relevance, search for

sources of insights

• Conduct User and Shopper research

• Leverage Industry and Competitive knowledge

• Perform a Marketing Audit

• Seek customer feedback

• Your goal is to show your customer that you are developing

solutions that are aligned with their goals


INNOVATE

• Find innovation in

everything you do!

• This stage translates the

insights you've discovered

into solutions you can share with your key customers

• In fact, the thinking may help all of your customers, but the

most strategic are the ones who should get the end result

first and with the best support your company can muster


STEPS TO INNOVATE

• Translating insights into

creative solutions

• Product innovation

• Packaging innovation

• Merchandising innovation

• Supply chain innovation

• Show your customer that you are an innovator in the

category and are creatively working to grow your

business together


INTEGRATE

• Making it happen: Transforming

customer meetings

into relationships that are

more strategic and more proactive

than ever before

• Don’t rush the implementation stage

• You've been deliberate in this process so far


STEPS TO INTEGRATE

• Check in again – are the

customer’s goals

aligned with yours?

• Map it out

• Get your timing in synch with the customer’s cycles

• Flawlessly execute the plan

• Remember, take your time and do it right…now is not the

time for shortcuts

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CHANNELINSTICTS [ Accelerating your path between ideas & actions ]


Greg Bonsib is a marketing expert and consultant who has worked with

various sales teams and customers such as Newell Rubbermaid, Owens Corning,

SentrySafe, Norandex, Reynolds Building Products and others to launch new products

and programs. He can be reached at [email protected].

This PowerPoint is adapted from the Channel Instincts blog at channelinstincts.com.

If You’re Not Listening, You’re Missing Sales

Business

Transcript of If You’re Not Listening, You’re Missing Sales