Do you want to build your business the right way?
Do you want more growth?
Then DO NOT do this first.
Most research shows that the most important goal, stated by almost all B2B businesses each year, is to get more new clients.
But I am telling you – DO NOT go after new accounts until you do this first.
This should not be your most important goal until you understand the following.
WORK WITH YOUR CURRENT CLIENTS FIRST
You need to first fully understand the answers to these three questions.
1. Why did your current clients buy from you?
2. How did your current clients buy from you?
3. What results did they get from using your products and/or services?
And then, once you understand the answers to those questions, you should be selling more to your existing accounts,
Why?
Because it’s easier.
Why is it easier?
Because you have already built a certain level of trust with your current clients, and nobody buys from you, until you have reached that trust level with them, whatever your clients perceive that level is.
And you need to especially be working more closely with your Strategic Accounts before you go after any other business.
So what is it that you need to be doing with your Strategic Accounts?
There are a number of things you should be doing with your Strategic Accounts that will better help you grow your revenues with these companies.
The Four C’s of business development with your Strategic Accounts
You should be following the 4 C’s of B2B business development with your clients.
You need to Constantly Be Doing these 3 Items:
- Communicating;
- Consulting; and
- Coaching your current clients.
Let’s look at each of these 4 C’s in turn.
Communicating; you need to be communicating with your clients on a regular and constant basis. You should be sending them communications in three specific areas.
- Things that will help them do their job better,
- Items that will help them reach their goals and resolve issues for them,
- Personal communications on things they are interested in doing, watching, talking about, etc., outside of the office.
Consulting; you need to be in constant consultation with your clients. You can be doing such things as;
- Working with the users of your products/services to understand fully what results they are getting with your products/services,
- Regular meetings about how your company is delivering the results they want.
- One-on-one meetings – take them out to lunch at least once a quarter, better if it’s more frequently, get to know then personally. Remember, people buy from people, not just companies,
- Taking them to events that would help them in their job,
- Talk to them about other ideas. As an example, how do your products other clients use your products and services differently, yet effectively,
- Etc. – use your imagination.
Coaching; you should be setting up coaching sessions to help them and their company get better at their job.
- Lunch & learns,
- Facilitations
- Planning sessions,
- Take them to a seminar you are going to,
- One-on-one coaching to help them grow,
- Etc.
Constantly; you need to be constantly incorporating the above three processes into your contact with your clients. Constantly means at the bare minimum at least once a month, and it should be once for a week for your true Strategic Accounts.
This will help you understand how best to serve your current clients, but more importantly, it will help them, help you deliver more products/services to them.
It will also allow you to charge more for your products and services because they now know the VALUE you are bringing them.
Do these things first and I guarantee you that you will build a more profitable business, and much faster.
Now, once you do all of this, and completely understand your clients’ buying process, and what results they want, you can go after similar prospects, and you will close them much faster, and with greater revenue and profits.
Let me show you how.