Council Post: Who Needs A Vendor When You Can Have A Partner?

As CRO & COO of Agora Inc., Reggie leads the team’s go-to-market and global expansion efforts. 

It’s easy to be hyper-focused on your funnel and net profit as a business leader. It’s an inescapable reality and what ultimately drives entrepreneurs and corporations alike. But, in a world that’s ruled by customer experience, simply jamming leads through your sales engine isn’t enough. In fact, it’s far from it.

Business leaders have to think beyond dollar-to-dollar transactions and truly get to know their customers from the inside out. For those who want to survive and thrive in the modern B2B economy, it’s crucial to graduate from being a mere vendor to being an indispensable, value-driving partner. 

From getting to know your customer to building alongside them to remaining a lifelong resource to their success, you can differentiate your company from the vendors of the world and transform your offering into something they can’t live without. Read on to learn some steps to becoming the perfect sidekick.

Stop Selling, Get To Know Your Customer And Help Them Ideate

You’ve heard the phrase before, and if you’ve ever worked in sales, it might send a tingle down your spine: “Closing the deal” carries a negative connotation and often for good reason. This approach can come off pushy, opportunistic and tone deaf. Why? Because shoving an offering down someone’s throat is just that: shoving. You must always remember you are not dealing with “entities” or “companies” — your customers are people, just like you.

Just like any relationship, there has to be a period where you are truly getting to know what the other person needs or wants. In fact, according to a recent study by the data-driven marketing company Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that provides personalized experiences. But, what tangible moves can you make to actually tailor your offering to each customer who comes knocking on your door? For starters, go beyond simple platitudes and show some real dedication. 

Attempting to “close a deal” too soon with a new prospect, or prematurely upselling to a current customer, can prove to be fatal. From serving as an initial soundboard to providing adequate resources during a customer’s private beta, there needs to be a phase where you are simply feeling each other out, being creative and investigating what aspects of your offering will actually be of service and of value to them. In the technology world, we call this process “ideation.”

During this process, you have to remember that customers are often coming to you with a greenfield plan and a leap of faith. As a partner, it’s your job to invest time into their plan, be creative, offer critical feedback and have the integrity to speak up about the right budget or plan. The mark of a partner is character; the mark of a vendor is cashing a check and turning the other cheek. 

Build Something Together

Now that you’ve spent some time at the drawing board, it’s time to get your customer’s project off the ground. This requires a significant amount of manpower — especially if you’re working with startups of first-time entrepreneurs who often lean into their partners for added support. In fact, even larger enterprises look for offerings that promise meaningful consultative value and lifelong guidance.

According to a report by Salesforce, “great experience is key to setting up a regular customer, with 67% of people saying they’d pay extra to get it.” Therefore, instead of doing the bare minimum and simply handing off the keys to your kingdom, build the right infrastructure into your team to help your customers pull off even the most aggressive goals. 

As a partner, you are bound to work with a myriad of different industries. Diversification is at the core of every healthy business. It only becomes a problem when your growth balloons so much that your customer’s vision and acumen outgrow your own. Assigning specialized technology managers, architects or industry experts to appropriate accounts is a solid way to show that you understand that not every customer has cookie-cutter needs. It also shows that you’ve “been here before” and can provide the right people to get the job done. 

With the right people in place, you can now offer above and beyond services. From continually testing out their product alongside them to being on call when “things happen,” a squad of experts should be at the ready to help whenever, however and wherever. When you show (rather than just tell) that you are in it to win it together, that’s where the magic happens. Even if your offering is lacking in some areas in comparison to your competitors, you will outshine them with your willingness to roll up your sleeves and establish meaningful relationships. 

From The Cradle To World Glory

At the end of the day, if you really want to drive and maintain sustainable retention, you need to show up for your customers from start to finish and beyond. From co-marketing with startups that have small budgets to supplying responsive, round-the-clock support for complex go-to-market strategies, you need to drive home the fact that you are on board for as long as your customer will have you. By thinking out of the box (and sales funnel), you’ll start forging the kinds of relationships that result in long-lasting growth, memorable customer experience and reviews that sing your praises.

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