I’ve been working on numerous consulting projects recently, and I’m incredibly frustrated with clients who lost business for no other reason than they didn’t see it coming.
They simply didn’t have enough contacts inside their accounts to see an accurate picture of what the customer was doing, what was going on, and where the competition was coming.
This indeed frustrates me because it’s such an easy fix. Yet, salespeople are so reluctant to reach out to more people. They get comfortable and complacent hanging out and talking to the same people they know, forgetting to build wide and deep relationships inside the account.
A Minimum of 4 Contacts
I love it when my clients start to mandate things like a minimum of four contacts that are fully engaged in every single account. Now, for example, you might be selling multimillion dollar equipment that requires 10, 12, or 20 contacts, but four as a minimum sets the baseline. This ensures you always have a broader purview as to what’s going on inside the account. Additionally, engaging with a minimum of four contacts ensures that you always have a backup to talk to—someone who’s willing to return your calls. This will give you a much better perspective on not only how to save the customer, but how to grow the customer.
You have heard me say before that I have never seen anybody lose a piece of business because they have too many contacts inside the account, but I have seen millions of dollars lost because they have too few. So, what are you waiting for? Reach out and find new people to talk to today. I promise you it will not only help grow your business, but it will help retain it as well.
[…] those steps, you will be incredibly present inside the mind of what’s most important to the customer, leading to a non-stop sales […]
It happens… Several years ago (when I was at a different IT reseller) I lost an account because the ownership changed and the new investment company that purchased them fired the entire IT department (CIO, IT Director, IT Manager, but kept some of the staff). The new ownership brought in an outside agency to manage all aspects of the IT purchasing and IT management of the organization. Even the CIO and IT staff were caught off guard when they were fired. I lost a $300,000 deal and my largest account all in one fell swoop. I was even blocked from talking to the staff I had good relationships with after the sale. I had at least 6 or 7 contacts. I realize this is a rare situation, and agree that the more contacts the better. Ownership changes are quite difficult to overcome when you are not the incumbent VAR with the overtaking company.
[…] Colleen Francis sent us this video “There is No Excuse for Being Blindsided.” I love it when my clients start to mandate things like a minimum of four contacts that are fully engaged in every single account. Now, for example, you might be selling multimillion dollar equipment that requires 10, 12, or 20 contacts, but four as a minimum sets the baseline. This ensures you always have a broader purview as to what’s going on inside the account. Additionally, engaging with a minimum of four contacts ensures that you always have a backup to talk to—someone who’s willing to return your calls. This will give you a much better perspective on not only how to save the customer, but how to grow the customer. To view […]
[…] need to capitalize on this video conferencing trend. Don’t fight it. If this is what our customers are preferring, then let’s be masters of it so that we can beat the competition in delivering […]
[…] have enough contacts inside their accounts to have an accurate picture of what was happening. She urges[3] you to have a minimum of four contacts in the firm who will return your calls and help you […]