How much do you want?
When do you want it?
What do you want to pay?
What can we do to get you to buy more?
These five questions are NOT the topic of this post. And setting aside sales calls, these shouldn't even be on the agenda of a customer visit.
I had the chance to meet with the CFO of a promising pre-revenue start-up this past week. He's talking to potential beta customers, relaying the concept, looking for ways to deliver value and ultimately monetize. To make the most of the time spent with customers, it is a great idea to be open to sharing information as well as listening to what the customer has to say. A mutual exchange is valuable in developing a fruitful relationship.
Here are thoughts on five subjects that should be on the agenda:
- Offer insight on the customer's business. Rivalry and competition is a great topic. Armed with basic knowledge of a customer's product and marketplace, provide thoughts on the competitive landscape. If competition is fierce, find out where a supplier can chip-in to push a customer ahead of its rivals.
- Describe the way that you do business. When a customer knows what's important to you, what the baseline level of service is, this anchors the customer's expectations. It also is a quick way to get feedback. How does the customer define ease of business?
- Cover hiring and organizational capability. What are your people really good at? The value of most businesses lands firmly in the hands of its people. Find out what the customer believes they have as core skills. Further, learning where the customer is hiring can provide good insight for future potential business.
- Describe your corporate goals. Provide insight into the business goals that you've set for your company. If you've just secured funding, sharing the exciting back and forth with investors is something that everyone will be interested in. On the other hand, if you're established, what's next and what's the end goal for your enterprise?
- Listen for the goals of the customer. Dealing with an R&D team as a customer is totally different than selling to sales people. Look beyond your product. What do they want to get done and how do their department goals fit in with the broader company's intent.
Subjects of conversation such as these can lead to solid dialog between supplier and customer. Use the customer visit as an event that seeks to obtain the customer's long-term involvement in your business.
