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Hi there,
Earlier this month I attended Seattle Seafair and WOW, being with our customers was awesome! It was a great reminder that being in person with customers is the single best way to build trust and progress deals. And it’s even better while watching the Blue Angels while sipping a blue cocktail.
In sales, it's commonly said that the walk to the elevator post-meeting is the most important part of customer interaction, and it’s true. It's in these moments that your champion shares unfiltered feedback and decodes what really went on in the meeting.
8 reasons to meet your customers in person:
- You will uncover 100x more info to advance the opportunity.
- People buy from people they like and trust and you can earn trust faster in person.
- You get the meeting after the meetings (aka the walk to the elevator).
- Body language. It’s not just what we say, it's how we say it.
- You can disqualify deals faster.
- It energizes and motivates your sellers.
- Deals will close faster.
- Lastly, it’s just more fun!
How to get customers in person
- Make in-person meetings a KPI. (We use People.ai to automate this tracking and reporting.)
- A conference room isn’t necessary. Invite customers for coffee or lunch.
- Be a connector. Host events where customers can connect with you AND each other. Leaders want to be with their peers.
- Facilitate interesting conversations. What topics do your customers care about? Thought leadership is an excellent way to build trust and authority (check out last month’s newsletter on this).
- Go to industry events. Invite customers for coffee during breaks. Join the event-sanctioned group activities like a morning run or yoga class and get to know your customers.
- Make it easy. Pick a convenient location near their office, or if they are remote, near their home.
Make it nice. Consider activities or places you'd make time for. The more creative, genuinely interesting activities based on your customers' interests are the most effective.
Inspire creativity among your sellers
I have a talented group of sellers on my team. One of our strategic AEs, Nick Owens, has really creative ideas to get in front of customers. I asked him to share some here.
Hi, Nick here! For bigger accounts, I have a meeting setting framework I call Give, Ask, Receive. Here’s how it recently got me a meeting:
Give
- I was targeting a large, ice-cold account and wanted to send a highly personalized gift to the economic buyer.
- I attended a webinar they hosted on their Salesforce implementation and saw an Edmonton Oilers jersey hanging in their office.
- I sent a monogrammed Oilers polo with a note that said, “Hey, congrats on the Salesforce rollout. Thought I’d congratulate you with some Oilers gear.”
Ask
- After a couple weeks, I reached back out.
- First, you want to recall the gift: “I hope you received the Oilers polo.”
- Then, share the why for the outreach and provide a clear value prop for meeting.
- Offer peer-to-peer engagement. Use your executives who are willing to engage.some text
- “Our CRO will be in (city) in September. I would love to connect you both on (value prop).”
- Give a timeframe about 1-2 months out for better calendar availability.
Receive
- The economic buyer replied to my ask within days, not accepting the meetings but connecting us with two other executives in his organization that we should meet.
- We have an in-person meeting on the books and a relationship with the economic buyer! 🎉
Finding their why
- Find each person's "why" – what matters to them personally and professionally. For example,I sent a customer who loves The Bachelor a Cameo from Jesse Palmer, along with a note on an internal initiative they were responsible for and how we could help. Now, we are meeting them at an event next month.
Be bold. Sell smart. (And get in person).
Chad O'Connor
Vice President of Sales | People.ai
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