Reference Success News

In this edition of Reference Success News, we are going to give attention to the benefits of being proactive when managing your organization's customer reference program.

Does your company take a reactive approach to references?

Using third-parties to vouch for a company’s product or service is a familiar concept, but for many firms it’s not until a sales prospect or media ask for a reference that folks scramble to find a willing customer.

This reactive approach typically results in a less successful experience on all sides.

Frustrated sales reps and prospects when customer references aren’t immediately available or forthcoming.

Customers who become annoyed because they are rushed to participate without defining clear expectations about the experience.

Missed press opportunities, when it is impossible to find a customer in time to meet a publication deadline.

Rushed timeline that turns up a customer who can’t actually share an effective story for the reference situation, thus eliminating any potential benefits.

Gain the advantages of being proactive.

Securing relationships and permissions in advance from customers who can speak on your behalf helps avoid the problems above, but can also yield even bigger sales and marketing advantages:

From the sales perspective, sharing evidence of customer success before being asked can take the credibility question off the table. This quickly builds that trust that is essential to an effective sales process.

If sales can easily find details of past clients' successes, they can more naturally focus the sales conversation on business impact and ROI, avoiding discussions that degenerate into a recital of features and functions that are less likely to create differentiation.

From the marketing perspective, consider the campaigns, programs and pr pitches that could be pursued if you had a customer ready and willing to speak. Customer testimonials reinforce company messages; the only way to make this happen is to plan ahead.

Invest the extra effort ahead of time in making customers an active part of sales and marketing. Because the majority of companies aren’t proactive, you can achieve a competitive advantage in all these areas, driving a direct impact on the bottom line. Companies that become proactive about customer reference management achieve significant advantages over their competitors.

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If you have any customer reference stories or tips you would like to share please send them to news@boulderlogic.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

Reference Success News is published and distributed by Boulder Logic, specialists in customer reference management. If you received this information from a colleague, you are welcome to subscribe here.

http://www.boulderlogic.com
If you wish to reach us by phone, please call: 800.715.1910

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