Why your key customer leaders are avoiding you, and what to do about it ⤵
The conventional approach to customer success has actually trained customers to avoid us!
A simple way to know your QBRs aren't working is when the most important person you are trying to engage doesn't show up. But it turns out that this problem goes way beyond QBRs.
Over the last few years, I've noticed a trend: Getting direct engagement with key customer decision-makers is becoming increasingly difficult. This obviously makes operating playbooks designed to demonstrate value and fortify renewals difficult or impossible.
But why is this happening?
⓵ VENDOR OVERLOAD
One reason is that the number of vendors vying for their attention has grown exponentially. It's become impossible for them to attend every vendor's QBR.
But this is NOT the whole story. Rather than opting out of everything, they still choose to engage selectively. The question is: What attracts their interest enough to get them to reengage?
This brings me to the second problem...
⓶ WASTING THEIR TIME
The second reason they disengage is that they've discovered these meetings aren't for them—they are for us!
Think about it. It's just a bunch of stuff that the vendor wants to talk about. But customer leaders don't really care about "What's New!" at your company or the status of their projects. And if they did care, they could've learned that much easier without the meeting.
But the last reason they're avoiding you may be painful to admit...
⓷ PRESSURE
Rather than anticipating receiving real value every time they meet with us, we've trained them to expect pressure. They know they'll more than likely be pressured for commitments, such as renewals, expansions, testimonials, etc.
I hate to say this, but this has become the CSM brand in the eyes of many customers! And it's only getting worse with the increasing pressure on CS to be more "commercial"!
✅ THE SOLUTION
The way out of this trap is redesigning the customer playbook entirely around identifying and driving measurable customer results.
Our research proves that this simpler method is vastly more effective at achieving exceptional retention and expansion. Focusing on measured results increases average customer lifespan by 6-10 times! NO PRESSURE REQUIRED!
👉 What customer leaders want most from us is real data showing how they are progressing on their key business objectives and expert advice to help them improve. 👈
My CUSTOMER RESULTS PLAYBOOK is comprised of 3 key components:
1️⃣ Identify every customer's key business results (Customer Results Strategy).
2️⃣ Measure and show their results to the key customer leaders (Executive Business Review).
3️⃣ Teach them how to improve their results and help them do it (Results Behavior Change).
I teach these playbooks every day, and not only are they more effective than the conventional approach, but this is the most powerful antidote to the erosion of customer trust!
☎️ If you'd like to learn more about my FOUR KEY PLAYBOOKS OF HIGH RETENTION, schedule a free 30-minute consultation here: https://www.gregdaines.com/free-consultation