How do you collaborate with other stakeholders or experts to deliver the best solution for the customer?

To succeed in the post-pandemic world, a new approach is necessary. In the past, collaboration began by identifying key players in the customer and your own organization. However, this traditional method is becoming obsolete due to the increasingly complex customer buying journey. Buying teams are expanding and evolving rapidly, often lacking alignment both physically and organizationally. The solution lies in shifting the paradigm by you orchestrating the entire buying journey. By leading with a customer-centric view focusing on their journey and goals, customers will be motivated to self-identify the key players on an ongoing basis because it benefits them. Cutting-edge technology like CustomerNode.com, can help transform this paradigm.

Five ways to better understand and collaborate with stakeholders: 1. Research your stakeholders 2. Identify what is at stake for everyone - Use their role and motivation to your advantage. 3. Learn each stakeholder’s language 4. Set specific expectations for everyone - articulate your expectations for their involvement. 5. Show how stakeholder input is put to work - t makes them an active part of decision-making without letting them make the decision.

In my experience here are some ways I can be helpful: 1. Information Gathering and Analysis: consolidate information, identify trends & patterns 2. Communication and Brainstorming: facilitate discussions, support brainstorming sessions 3. Knowledge Management and Documentation: centralised repository, generate reports & summaries

Org charts are great for this however, there are informal influencers that also need to be identified. Understanding your team should be straight forward and the key is to align them to the Prospects organization so they can assist with collaboration. I've partnered with many great industry experts on my own team who in turn, were able to deliver strategic market driven discussions with the Prospect that transcended beyond what the solution addressed. That was a differentiator for many deals that went beyond the tactical details of a platform and, demonstrated that we understood the market the Prospect was competing in as well with an opinion on how to compete and win.

By understanding who the key decision-makers are and their roles in the organization, you can ensure that everyone is aligned and involved in the solution-selling process from the outset.

Take the time to listen actively to their concerns and objectives, demonstrating empathy and understanding. Share insights and expertise relevant to their roles and responsibilities, showing that you value their input and contributions. By fostering a positive and collaborative relationship, you lay the foundation for effective teamwork and problem-solving.

Facilitate open and transparent communication to ensure that everyone understands the customer's needs, desired outcomes, and timeline. Collaboratively define success criteria and milestones, allowing for mutual accountability and tracking progress towards shared objectives.

Understand Needs: Use open questions to gather information on the customer's goals and pain points. Clarify Objectives: Summarize what you've understood and confirm with the customer. Present Clearly: Explain how your solution addresses their specific needs. Link Features to Benefits: Show how features meet their goals. Seek Feedback: Ask for their thoughts and address concerns. Set Expectations: Outline the process, timeline, and support. Mutual Agreement: Confirm goals, expectations, and next steps. Document: Note down agreements. Follow Up: Ensure ongoing satisfaction and address new needs.

Encourage a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration, where everyone feels empowered to contribute their ideas and insights. By harnessing the collective capabilities of the team, you can overcome challenges more effectively and deliver a solution that exceeds customer expectations.

In the course of collaboration, it's inevitable that issues and obstacles will arise. As a solution selling expert in SaaS, it's essential to approach these challenges with a proactive and problem-solving mindset. Foster a culture of open communication and transparency, where team members feel comfortable raising concerns and brainstorming solutions together. Utilize conflict resolution techniques such as active listening, empathy, and compromise to address disagreements and find common ground.

Acknowledge milestones, achievements, and individual efforts, both publicly and privately. Celebrating wins fosters a sense of camaraderie and motivation within the team, boosting morale and reinforcing a culture of collaboration.

Identify key stakeholders – from technical specialists within your company to industry experts and your customer's own internal champions. Foster Open Communication: Establish clear channels for information exchange – regular meetings, shared documents, and even a collaborative project management platform. Actively Listen and Learn: Actively listen to each stakeholder's perspective, be it the technical nuances from your specialists or the real-world pain points from your customer's champions. Facilitate workshops where stakeholders can brainstorm, share ideas, and even collaboratively prototype the solution. Celebrate not just the sale, but the collaborative process that led to it.