What if…your business strategist helped you to get more contracts by solving your customers’ problems?

Are you making inroads to support your customers through tough times and become their strategic partners?

As a business strategist and ‘CEO tormentor’, I work with leaders including Mark Lewis of Analox, who recently tweeted about his team’s excitement and motivation following a successful visit to a major customer.

We’ve previously discussed your sales people becoming your customers strategic partners

What if… you went one step further and arranged for a group of your key people across all areas of the business to spend half a day or more meeting your top customers and collectively ‘brainstorming’ solutions to their challenges?

This would achieve a big ‘win win’ for everyone – you, your team, your customers and their teams. The buzz of putting faces to names and the benefits of demonstrating and overcoming issues at first hand is priceless.

Another great example centres on an MD in a packaging company to whom I’m an executive coach. In a similar visit both teams got on famously, resolving a problem that had dogged the customer and the MD’s sales people – and opened up further opportunities to work together.

What if…you also extended this powerful formula to your major supply partners by inviting them to visit your operation, meet your people and earmark areas for joint problem solving and new solutions. How much more ‘bought in’ will they be to your business – and how much stronger will their relationships be with your people?

Remember that in today’s climate, your strategic customers are the key to your sales and profit growth.

For more tips on engaging more with your customers and suppliers, email me richard.bosworth@whatifspecialist.com, follow @richardwhatif on Twitter and find me on LinkedIn under Richard Bosworth.