Joanna Johnston的动态

??Selling cloud product? Then you need to know LAER. It is a customer engagement model that helps SaaS businesses drive growth. Technology has radically changed the world. However, what has changed more radically is the way the technology is purchased and adopted by a customer. Hence new Salespeople need to understand especially if they are selling "Technology as a service" that is on annual maintenance, they need to learn the LAER framework. LAER : ?? Land: The first step, involves acquiring new customers or closing initial deals. It focuses on identifying potential prospects, engaging with them, and converting them into paying customers. ??Adopt: Once a customer is acquired, the next step is to ensure they successfully adopt and implement the product or service they have purchased. This involves providing onboarding support, training, and guidance to help customers integrate the offering into their operations. ??Expand: After successful adoption, the "Expand" phase focuses on identifying opportunities for upselling or cross-selling additional products or services to existing customers. Salespeople proactively engage with customers, understand their evolving needs, and propose relevant solutions that can further enhance their experience or address new challenges. ??Renew: The final stage of the LAER framework is "Renew," which involves securing contract renewals or extending the customer relationship beyond the initial term. Salespeople work closely with customers, providing ongoing support, demonstrating the value delivered, and addressing any concerns or issues. By cultivating strong relationships and consistently delivering value, salespeople can increase the likelihood of renewals and drive customer loyalty. The LAER framework emphasizes the importance of not only acquiring new customers but also nurturing and growing existing customer relationships. ********************************************* ??Follow us here for more learning resources and ideas on Salesmanship #Salesmanship #Salesmanship101 #sales101 #salescoaching #salestraining

Why are Customer Success Managers (CSMs) still hesitant to see themselves as sellers? 1. Historical role definition: Traditionally, CSM roles were created as a separate function from sales, focused on customer retention and satisfaction rather than new business. 2. Fear of damaging customer relationships: Some CSMs worry that pushing sales too aggressively could harm the trusted advisor relationship they've built with clients. 3. Lack of sales training: Many CSMs come from support or account management backgrounds and may not have formal sales training or experience. 4. Compensation structures: If CSMs aren't incentivized or compensated for sales activities, they will be less motivated to embrace a sales mindset. 5. Company culture: Some organizations maintain strict divisions between customer success and sales teams, reinforcing the non-sales identity of CSMs. 6. Personal preferences: Some individuals may have chosen customer success specifically to avoid sales responsibilities. 7. Misunderstanding of modern sales: CSMs may have an outdated view of sales as pushy or transactional, rather than consultative and value-driven. To shift this mindset, companies consider: - Providing sales training to CSMs - Adjusting compensation models to reward expansion - Fostering collaboration between sales and CS teams - Reframing upsells and cross-sells as ways to deliver more value to customers

Are your clients getting caught in the crossfire between Professional Services and Customer Support? Here are 5 ways to improve the relationship. One of my theories is that organizations dislike most the organization that immediately precedes them in the customer lifecycle journey. Sales dislikes Marketing. Services dislikes Sales. Support dislikes Services. Part of this stems from the fact that many companies treat PS and Support as separate entities, but this siloed approach can lead to fragmented client experiences and missed opportunities. Here's why bridging this gap is crucial, and how to do it effectively. The PS-Support Disconnect -> Inconsistent client messaging -> Duplicate effort on similar issues -> Missed upselling opportunities -> Knowledge silos limiting problem-solving 5 Strategies to Align PS and Support 1. Implement a shared knowledge base: Ensure both teams have access to the same client information, project details, and common issues. 2. Create a feedback loop: Set up regular meetings where Support shares common client issues, and PS provides insights from recent implementations. 3. Cross-team shadowing: Have PS team members occasionally sit in on Support calls, and invite Support to PS project kickoffs. 4. Collaborative account reviews: Conduct joint quarterly reviews of key accounts to identify both support trends and PS opportunities. 5. Unified client success metrics: Align on shared KPIs that reflect both successful PS implementations and ongoing support satisfaction. By breaking down the barriers between PS and Support, you can create a seamless client experience, improve problem resolution times, and uncover new business opportunities. How does your organization bridge the PS-Support gap??

Customer Success Managers are your best Sales Mgrs. in B2B SaaS Here are 12 reasons why: 0/ CSMs are continuously selling: Practice makes them better ;) 1/ Deep customer engagement: starting implementation through the lifecycle CSMs go deep into the customer's tasks, milestones & KPIs. These insights give them the window to the missing pieces. 2/ Trust is a given: while a sales person needs to starts from the beginning, CSMs already have an established trust as they partner in the customer's journey. They are the ones awake with the customer when things break, so if they sell a solution & it has any hiccups- customers are assured they know who to catch hold of. 3/ Product advocacy: comes naturally to all CSMs given they are implementing/ configuring/ debugging/ well doing everything with the product as they focus on customer success. 4/ Natural problem solvers: sales is less about selling features & more about selling solutions. Identifying & figuring out solutions/ workarounds for new business use cases/ problems is something CSMs can do in their sleep. 5/ Renewal is sale: Keeping customers onboard, ensuring they renew is an ongoing sale & CSMs excel at it. Every subscription renewal is a sales process. 6/ Data-driven insights: data visibility in real time to spot opportunities, continuously & selling improvements. CSMs with depth do not even depend on a solutions engineer- they know well on how to get their hands dirty. 7/ Advocacy-led sale: 'aha' moment due to ROI/ outcome achievement- CSMs are placed beautifully to get new referrals/ rating/ review/ word of mouth(read free marketing that is super powerful) 8/ Needs, wants, aspirations: recognizing propensity to buy is easier as CSMs work closely with customer business as a routine. Biggest green flag of a CSM is the ever expanding portfolio which means more opportunities. 9/ Value focused: CSMs are focused on making the customer successful, which means prescriptive value based engagements. Based on customer objectives, current adoption & value journey CSM suggestions target deeper solutions in cross-sell. 10/ Continuous learning: CSMs need to stay updated with market trends, customer preferences & the product which makes consultative sale easy. 11/ Effective communication: every interaction is an opportunity to present the right value solutions, making every interaction a selling opportunity. 12/ Customer-centric approach: CSMs hold ongoing customer's success ownership & hence any sale is the right sale with customer as focus. Have more pts.? Or still think CS shouldn't have revenue ownership? Maybe in your org. setup it is true - Tell me more. #CustomerSuccess #Sales #revenue #csm #cs #csleaders #customersuccessmanager #Linkedin #b2b #saas #founders Need guidance in creating your CS playbooks/ Want hone your CS skills/ Need help with that big hairy CS problem/ looking for a job & struggling? Block 1:1 CS coaching/ mentoring/ guidance session https://lnkd.in/gjQxGq7f

Sales and Customer Success may be on different sides of a deal. But great AEs and CSMs do a surprising amount of the same activities... Here are 3: 1 - Developing Champions Behind every great account there are champions that help push things forward and drive value creation. Champions help with building business cases, give updates during implementation, secure upsell/renewal opportunities, and keep you aligned with leadership's vision. I've been a CSM and an Enterprise AE in SaaS. Constant contact with champions changed the way I did business. 2 - Prioritizing Accounts Without the right priorities in mind, a CSM transitions to being purely reactive real quick and an AE kills their chances to go deep on target accounts. Across the board, creating a meaningful way to score your accounts and developing the right messaging is the key to winning on the sales and CS side. I've been on both sides of the fence before and making the move to actively prioritizing accounts with big time growth/upsell opportunity is what landed me an Enterprise selling role. And yes, I transitioned to that role directly from the CSM role. 3 - Building Meaningful Account Plans Probably the best companies I've had the pleasure to work with have Account Plans that are shared by the AEs, AMs, and CSMs. They set what the main priorities are for the year, which internal resources to leverage, and the steps needed to get to the final result. Great CSMs will learn how to develop account plans that drive new revenue/renewals and great AEs will build out account plans that embrace the consultative mindset of a CSM.

The transition from prospect to customer is a pivotal moment for building trust. It’s the ideal time for companies to demonstrate they can deliver on their promises. How can companies ensure new customers hit the ground running? By following these key steps in the sales-to-customer success (CS) handoff: 1?? Implement a Structured Data Handoff: Information collected during the sales cycle often doesn't transfer smoothly to CS, leading to duplicated efforts and missed opportunities to strengthen relationships. A seamless handoff ensures a cohesive customer experience. Sales should systematically pass all relevant details gathered during the purchasing process to CS. This prevents customers from repeating themselves and enables CS to craft an effective onboarding plan tailored to the customer’s specific needs and expectations. Sales should record essential details before closing a deal, including: ? Reasons for the customer’s purchase ? Products or services acquired ? Customer expectations ? Key stakeholders involved in the onboarding process 2?? Maintain Regular Communication: Schedule monthly meetings to review processes and gather feedback from CS on the clients brought in by sales. This ongoing dialogue helps refine and improve the handoff process. 3?? Align Sales Compensation with Renewal Goals: To ensure sales targets the right customers, tie part of their compensation to CS health metrics like retention or Net Promoter Score (NPS). While these metrics aren’t entirely within sales' control, linking some compensation to customer success encourages sales teams to choose suitable prospects and ensure a smooth handoff to CS. 4?? Align Sales and CS Metrics: Establish common goals and metrics for both sales and CS teams to ensure alignment. This fosters a collaborative environment where both teams work towards the same objectives, ultimately driving customer success and business growth. Providing CS with this foundational information from the outset significantly aids in establishing a solid base for customer interactions. By refining the sales-to-CS handoff and aligning team metrics, companies can foster trust and set the stage for lasting customer relationships. #revops #customersuccess #sales

How Sales can increase the LTV of customers by collaborating with CS b?e?f?o?r?e? the contract is signed. Some clients grow and scale automatically ????. While others fizzle and churn ????. While I worked as a CS manager for a SaaS vendor (CDP) we had quarterly business reviews (QBR) with clients. It gave us time with the solution owner as well as other business sponsors. During that time we would: ? Review the established use cases ? Evaluate the value the solution delivered ? Discuss challenges and roadblocks to ROI ? Establish the roadmap for the next quarter It gave us a ton of insight into how our clients use the platform and which use cases drove value. Together with the other Success Managers, we analyzed successful and failing clients. ? What were the common denominators? ? How can we scale the platform across their teams? ? Where do we prioritize to ensure we can prove ROI? It ended up becoming my success factor model for CDP/DMP implementations based on Knoster's proven systems of change model. And we realized that we needed to set up the client for success already in the sales process. So during the sales process, we took the model and guided the buying team through our framework. This helped establish the roadmap for the few next quarters which included: ? Setting a ???????????? ?????? ????????????????. ? Preparing the ???????????????????????? for wins. ? Establishing a value-based ??????????????. ? Inventory of required ???????????? ?????? ??????????????????. ? Setting up new ?????????????????? using the solution. The clients loved it. I updated the Maturity model to work with any SaaS. The idea is that you guide clients to go from explorer to leader which should take around 3 years for enterprises. If you want the full version give me a shout out. Ps. QBR's are also great for getting customer success cases to use in Marketing or Sales!

what is consultative product...?? A product or solution that is customized to meet specific customer needs, requiring in depth discussion, expertise and guidance during the sales process. 1. Understanding Customer Needs *Why it's Important:- Consultative product are designed to solve specific problems or achieve specific goals. A deep understanding of customer need is essential for tailoring the solution. *Key Action ?Conduct in depth discussion and assessment. ?Ask open ended questions to uncover pain point and requirements ?Build customer profile that includes short and long term objective. 2. Customisation and Flexibility *Why it's important:- Customer expect consultative product to tailored to their unique situations not one size fits all solutions. *Key Actions ?Offer moduler or adoptable product options. ?Demonstrate how the product can be customized to meet specific need. 3. Relationship Building *Why it's important:- Consultative product often involve long sales cycles and ongoing partnerships. Trust and rapport are essential for success. *Key Actions:- ?Building genuine long-term relationship with customers ?Be transparent dependable and responsive ?Show genuine intrest in the customer's success 4. High Quality After-Sales Support *Why it's important:- Customer expect ongoing support to ensure the product delivers the promised value over time. *Key Actions:- ?Providing training, maintenance and troubleshooting ?Offer productive solutions, upgrades or follow-up ?Ensure fast and reliable customer service 5. Clear Communication *Why it's important:- Complex product or service must be explained in a way that is easy for the customer to understand. *Key Actions:- ?Simplify technical terms ?Focus on how the product will impact the customer's goals ?Use visuals, example or demonstration where needed 6. Long-term Vision *Why it's important:- Consultative products are often part of a broader strategy or transformation for the customer. A long term perspective strengthens the partnership. *Key Actions:- ?Position the product as a sustainable and scalable solutions ?Suggest plans for upgrades or expansion as a part of roadmap 7. Competative Differentiation *Why it's Important:- Customers need a clear reason to choose your product over competitors. *Key Actions ?Highlight unique features, benifits or service ?Emphasize superior customer experience, reliability or innovation 8. Trust and Credibility *Why it's important:- Customers invest in consultative product based on confidence in the provider's capabilities and commitment. *Key Actions:- ?Be honest about product capabilities and limitations ?Deliver on promises and commitments ?Use reference or testimonials from other satisfied customers.

?????? ?????? ?? ???????????? ???? ?????????? ?? ?????????? ???????????????? ?????? ???????????? ?????? ??????????????! ?? ? ? Why is that some companies have a retention of 20% while others have 95%. The answer lies in one or multiple reasons. Dissatisfied with the service, no engagement, Agreement copy is lost, no resources or process to manage renewal, pricing, complex T&Cs and so on.? ? Acquiring a new customer can be 5 to 25 times more expensive than holding on to an existing one. ?? Having the right customer engagement and retention strategy is absolutely critical for a business, else you will end up losing customers, drop in revenue and increase in cost of sales.??? ? With my extensive experience in managing large accounts and contract renewals, one thing that really strikes out is the success I have had in managing and growing large?enterprise/strategic accounts. Here are my strategies on improving customer retention and improving contract renewal rates:? ? ? ?? Engage early?– Start the contract renewal process early.? ? ?? Ongoing Customer Engagement?- Customer retention begins from the time the customer is on boarded and it is an ongoing process. ? ?? Review the pricing?-?If you are not earning enough margin, please let the customer go or initiate price increase discussions? ? ?? Know the process?- Get clarity on customers processes and stakeholders involved. Being the best friend of procurement teams is absolutely important, and what is more important is that you make their life easier.? ? ?? Solid Account Management?–?Regular?engaement?with the customer, follow up meetings, follow up actions done in time, engagement with various stakeholders. It all percolates when you have a robust Account Plan for each customer. #sales #b2b #customerretention #salespundit ? --------------------------------------------------- Hi I am Dipti, I help businesses to grow their revenue and reduce their sales costs by fixing their sales processes and upskilling teams. DM me for a free review of you Customer Retention and Renewals process. You may have weak tap and an easy fix will help you save tons of $$.

6 Powerful Sales-Acceleration Tips From Account Managers and Sales Experts Sales and account management is a more high-stakes role than ever, so it's good to get advice from the top minds in the field. https://hubs.ly/Q02JVhR90 Summary of the six accelerators from the article garnered from account managers and sales experts: 1. Leverage Technology: Utilize CRM and sales automation tools to streamline the sales process. 2. Understand Your Customer: Deeply understand customer needs to tailor your approach and offer solutions that resonate. 3. Focus on Relationships: Build strong relationships with clients to foster trust and long-term partnerships. 4. Enhance Communication: Communicate clearly and effectively to keep clients informed and engaged. 5. Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest industry trends and sales techniques to remain competitive. 6. Efficiency in Processes: Optimize sales processes to reduce cycle times and increase productivity. These tips aim to help sales professionals accelerate their sales cycle, improve efficiency, and ultimately drive more revenue. Implementing these strategies can lead to better customer experiences and successful sales outcomes. Remember, the key is to be adaptable and always look for ways to improve your sales approach.