It Takes A Company To Sell A Customer

It could have been a disaster. But instead it turned into an opportunity to allow our company to shine, and showed the importance of teamwork in developing new business.

First, a little background. My organization is in the process of on-boarding a very large customer who has been incumbent with our competitors for the past 10 years. This is the kind of customer you want, the kind that challenges your organization to do better, to stretch, to push beyond how you've done things in the past. On top of that, they represent ongoing business (even through the recession) and have other business units that can use the products and services we provide.

On a typically cold Midwestern morning a few weeks ago, my team and theirs got our wires crossed on the timing of a visit and face to face meeting. Our customer team showed up two hours earlier than we expected - literally as we were all driving into the parking lot first thing in the morning. Nothing prepared, nothing ready to go, and nothing we could do about it.

But here's the remarkable thing. Our receptionist, though completely caught off guard first thing in the morning, understood the importance this new customer and poured on the charm while getting the word out to members of the team. Though scattered across multiple buildings at our location, all of our team members assembled quickly, got focused, and got their thoughts and materials ready to go.

The conference room was opened. Coffee, properly branded drinks, and food suddenly appeared. And we used the opportunity to show our flexibility, adaptability, and commitment to the account. One topic turned into another, opening the door to more potential business. What could have been a black eye for our company turned into a shining moment. Keep in mind that the key to setting the tone was the first interaction by the first person our customers met that morning, set up by her understanding of the importance of this customer to the company.

It is usually not the lone sales person who brings in new business, but the efforts by a mix of people at all levels and functions in the organization.

The important step in all of this is getting your company aligned to your sales goals - not just a top line revenue number but also who you are targeting and what they could mean to everybody. With the level of layoffs, closures, and reductions that have occurred in the past few years, the folks who are left standing in your organization should have a real sense of the importance of customer sales to securing their paychecks.

Get Going.

So, is your company aligned to your sales goals and your customer goals? If your not confident that they are, here's some thoughts:

• Walk Around and Ask. Take a stroll today and ask various folks about who they think your major customers are, who your company is pursuing, and what they think the company's sales goal is. Be broad and open ended in your questions - what you want is a gauge of how well this has been communicated so you know where the organization stands.


• Know The Goal. Know Your Role. Everybody shares in the bottom line goal of the company...and in the top line. The key is translating a P&L number into the daily actions of your company's people. This goes beyond the management team into employees at all levels of your organization. Can your team translate what they are doing into the effect on the top or bottom line? Do they seem to have a common sense of purpose? Ask the questions to find out.


• Take The Next Step. The first two steps may be eye opening for you. But what you find doesn't add up to much if you don't take action. Follow through with your team and have them define three steps that they will take (along with their completion date) to support your company's sales goals. Get specifics - what are you going to do to support the goals?

Take the time to take three steps to position your entire company to shine with customers, not just your sales team.