How well do you know your customers?

Welcome to the latest edition of The Juggling Act, the second in my series on Customer Success Strategy. If you missed part one, you can read it here. In that article, I covered what a customer success strategy is and the benefits of having one. Now, we’re exploring the first step in building your strategy: understanding your stakeholders.

At first glance, you might think a customer success strategy is all about customers! A common definition of a customer is "a person who buys goods or services from a shop or business." However, this definition misses a critical aspect—who will use, or be impacted by, those goods or services.

Customer: a person who buys goods or services from a shop or business.

Taking my fitness coaching business, Feel Good Fitness Coach, as an example: Delia (my iDealia client ??) is my customer, and she purchases and uses my services. But her path to purchase and her path to success are influenced by various other people, as shown in the image below. For instance, the people she lives with may influence, or be impacted by, changes to her routine. Friends and family often have opinions or judgments when we strive to improve our wellbeing. Sometimes this is supportive, and sometimes not so much. ????♀? I don't want any of these people to be silent killers of Delia's success and, consequently, my business. Being aware of these stakeholders can help me anticipate and address obstacles Delia might face on her path to success.

Not all stakeholders are created equally and therefore do not require the same level of consideration. The next step is to plot them on the Power-Interest Dynamics Map based on their power/influence and interest. In my map (pictured below), I have placed Delia in the 'manage closely' area. As the main buyer and user of my services, she will get most of my focus and attention. Her close friends and family sit within the 'anticipate and meet needs' zone. I am unlikely to be able to engage with these people directly therefore my customer success strategy needs to include options. For example, I could ask Delia as part of our coaching calls and check ins. I could also connect with her on social media not to spy but to stay tuned in to her life and what might be going on that will impact her success.

Finally, stakeholders aren't static; this is why my model is called the Dynamics Map. For example, Delia might start following a new fitness influencer on social media who impacts her progress with my services. This is why influencers and media are still on the map in the monitor zone. Unfortunately, this means that stakeholder identification and management isn't a one and done thing. Sorry to add another thing to your small business juggling act but I highly recommend you complete this exercise:

1. for your whole business a couple of times a year
2. when you are launching (relaunching) a new product or service

I also recommend you build elements into your sales and onboarding processes so you can assess on a customer by customer basis because not all customers will be the same. However, I will talk more about that in a future article.

As always I will leave you with some questions to reflect on:

• Who are the key influencers in your customers' journey?
• How can you engage with these stakeholders to support your customers’ success?
• What potential obstacles might these stakeholders present, and how can you prepare for them?
• How dynamic are your stakeholders, and how often could you reassess their influence?

Understanding who your customers really are and who influences them is essential to developing a robust customer success strategy. Look out for the next edition, where we’ll examine defining what success looks like for your key stakeholders.