Monday, March 16, 2009

Retaining Customers Through the Downturn

- A Business Week Article

How do you deepen relationships and drive growth when customers pull back? The Corporate Executive Board's Sales and Marketing Practice surveyed more than 5,000 individuals at its members' customer organizations to find out what makes them willing to 1) keep buying from that supplier, 2) buy even more over time, and 3) advocate on that supplier's behalf across their organization. The results reveal clear, if somewhat unexpected, strategies for winning that kind of loyalty in a down economy.

Conclusion No. 1: It's Not What You Sell, but How You Sell It
Conclusion No. 2: It's Not About Discovering Needs, but Sharing Insights
Conclusion No. 3: Don't Lead with Your Differentiators, Lead to Them
Conclusion No. 4: Ignore Advocates at Your Own Risk

Click here to read the complete article with more explanation of the conclusions made above.

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