Bob London: Discover Your Customers Elevator Rant
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Everything Great that Happens in Business Starts with Listening to Your Customers
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Bob London: Discover Your Customers Elevator Rant
- 1. @londoninkBob London President & Founder London, Ink Discovering Your Customers’ “Elevator Rant” Listening > Insights > Growth
- 2. @londonink Steve, I brought you a small token ofSteve, I brought you a small token of appreciation:appreciation:A picture of me, Bob London! An elegant, hand-carved frame made of the finest and most rare Brazilian teak! I even autographe d it! Featuring my patented “casual- jacket- thrown-over- the-shoulder” pose! Full color!
- 3. @londonink That’s more like it!That’s more like it! Driven to Excel Driven to Excel Intergalactic HQ Intergalactic HQ
- 4. @londonink Companies Have the Wrong Perspective: Their Own So Customers’ Real Issues (Rants) Go Unheard… …Making Marketing & Sales Less Effective Making Noise, Not Listening…
- 5. @londonink
- 6. @londonink Everything Great thatEverything Great that Happens in BusinessHappens in Business Starts with ListeningStarts with Listening to Your Customersto Your Customers
- 7. @londonink The Disconnect Between Marketers & Buyers “The themes that many B2B companies consider important for brand imaging appear to have minimal influence on buyers’ perceptions of brand strength.” IDC
- 8. @londonink Case Study: Commoditized IT ServicesCase Study: Commoditized IT Services FirmFirm We are great at technology! We are great at technology! Yes. You’d better be. The problem is, I’m a CFO, not a techie. So how do I not get blindsided by the next big tech wave—and decide whether we should invest —or not? We deliver great service. We deliver great service. It’s about our people! It’s about our people! Hmmm…would it be helpful if we educated you every 6 months on major tech trends and whether you should invest? Absolutely. We’re talking “customer for life.” CAN THE PATIENT BE SAVED? FIRED THE SALES GUY —SAVED $150K
- 9. @londonink Case Study: Boutique Consulting Firm On a Losing StreakCase Study: Boutique Consulting Firm On a Losing Streak 12 We’re as good as the big guys! We’re as good as the big guys! Actually we invited you to pitch because you’re NOT one of the big firms. Those are meaningless cliches. If you’re basically the same as a big firm then we’ll go with the big firm. We’re passionate.We’re passionate. We deliver personalized service. We deliver personalized service. Each of us (partners) chose to come here from a Big 4 firm. Here’s why—and here are the tangible benefits to you. Now I see the difference. We have no junior people. No sales quotas. And we limit the number of clients to ensure senior-level focus on each one. LOST 4 OF 5 PITCHES WON 6 OF 7 PITCHES
- 10. @londonink Fresh perspectives and insightsFresh perspectives and insights to differentiate and grow your business are into differentiate and grow your business are in your customers’ and prospects’ heads.your customers’ and prospects’ heads. You just have to ask.You just have to ask. The Customers’ ElevatorThe Customers’ Elevator RantRant™™
- 11. @londonink How to Listen:How to Listen: One-on-One MeetingsOne-on-One Meetings 10 – 2010 – 20 interviews.interviews. ClientsClients and/orand/or prospects.prospects. 30 - 4530 - 45 minutes each.minutes each. ““Agenda-less”Agenda-less” (No selling!)(No selling!) GenuineGenuine curiositycuriosity.. InsightfulInsightful questions.questions. Don’t beDon’t be defensivedefensive..
- 13. @londonink YOUR TURNYOUR TURN Share an Example of How YouShare an Example of How You Listened to a Customer andListened to a Customer and Leveraged the Insights in Some WayLeveraged the Insights in Some Way
- 14. @londonink Let’s Try It:Let’s Try It: Groups of 4 - 5Groups of 4 - 5 1 Vendor, 3 - 4 Customers1 Vendor, 3 - 4 Customers ““Vendor” Asks Questions to DiscoverVendor” Asks Questions to Discover Customers’ Elevator RantCustomers’ Elevator Rant 10 Minutes10 Minutes
- 15. @londonink Will My Customers &Will My Customers & Prospects Open Up?Prospects Open Up? 600 Customer Interviews600 Customer Interviews (my clients’ customers)(my clients’ customers) > 80% Acceptance Rate> 80% Acceptance Rate My Clients’ CustomersMy Clients’ Customers Actually Appreciate It!Actually Appreciate It!
- 16. @londonink At Least 8 Great Things HappenAt Least 8 Great Things Happen When You Listen to Your CustomersWhen You Listen to Your Customers
- 17. @londonink Thanks!Thanks! Bob LondonBob London bob@londonink.com 240-994-7644bob@londonink.com 240-994-7644 www.londonink.com @londoninkwww.londonink.com @londonink
Editor's Notes
- Its every leaders job to know their customers Started as a reaction to terrible elevator pitches that lacked any context. Elevator Rant was a funny coincept. Caught on. Search traffic.Mentioned in book. Now I’m writing a book. Listening to your customers is the most critical (and inexpensive!) step in the marketing process. For example, you think you have a great "elevator pitch," but your target audience's eyes are glazing over. In order to have an effective "elevator pitch,” it must address what Bob London calls your customers' Elevator Rant--what they're saying on the elevator when you're not around. Bob is on a mission to help companies listen to their customers and prospects--so they can stop making noise and start making sense with their marketing. He has interviewed hundreds of decision-makers (his clients' customers and prospects) to gain a deep understanding of their true needs. At our 4/24 meeting, Bob will talk with the group about the great things that happen when you actively listen to your customers, the right questions to ask and how to distill the answers into critical insights that drive more relevant marketing.
- Look at all these great features! “Wow…Thanks Bob…um…so thoughtful. But I don’t know what I’d do with a picture of you.” “What would be really nice…” How to get a free headshot: Pay thousands of dollars for your son’s bar mitzvah and the photog will take a headshot of you for free.
- We tend to give customers pictures of us instead of them. That’s enough about me, lets talk about you. What do you think about me?
- Where did the term come from? A satirical blog post about 6 years ago. I got tired of hearing awful elevator pitches that were hollow, irrelevant, stiff. Sort of like Luca Brasi practicing what he’s going to say to the godfather. The problem was that there was no context– the elevator pitcher had no understanding of the pitchee’s situation, challenges or rants. What are their biggest challenges and priorities? What do they find annoying about most vendors? How does what you’re offering connect to their business priorities? It could be: Something no one else has ever asked about. This is: About what you do not how you deliver your message. B2B Marketing/Sales Elevator Rant Commodity business Customers want more for less Customers want ideas for free! Hard to differentiate Hard to get to the decision maker Prospects focus on price RFPs suck! The Customer Elevator Rant (CER) is what your ideal prospect says on the elevator ride with his/her boss when you are not around. The CER is your prospect’s candid, specific and sometimes emotional articulation of his/her pain in trying to get some part of his/her job done correctly–perhaps something your product or service can address. The only way for you to know if your product or service solves that pain is for you to figure out the rant. Here are some very basic ways to start doing this:
- Insights: The most valuable outcome, because they lead to new opportunities. Use Cases: New ideas for how customers are using your product or service. Upsell/Cross-Sell: Follow up with solutions to their challenges. Referrals: The best ones are the ones you don’t have to ask for. Testimonials: Promote the positive things people say in your marketing and sales. Problems: You can’t address them if you don’t know about them. Stay Top of Mind: They’ll think of you when they have a problem. Goodwill. It’s nice to be called on without being sold. You are not taking the customer for granted.