From Pitch to Partnership

Ever had a great sales discussion, only to be let down by the product or the delivery? We all have.

A company that focuses on customer-centricity will rarely let you down. They know that real business begins at go-live, not at a closed sale. A partnership requires effective communication at the beginning, middle and end of the relationship. This is where the trust is built, and metamorphosises into loyalty.

Whilst it may appear typical to reference Amazon when talking about customer-centricity, the anecdote I am about to share stands above many experiences I have had as a customer, and exemplifies a customer-first approach.

In 2010 my Kindle stopped working. The Amazon website told me to click a button and someone would call me. As I clicked it my phone rang. The person at the other end of the line told me that they would deploy a new Kindle with all my data loaded within 24 hours, and that I had 5 days to return the old one, or I would be charged for a new one. A phone call that lasted less than 5 minutes solved my problem and left me in no doubt about what was to happen next and what I needed to do. I have told this story to many, many people. Good service, gets talked about.

In B2B, trust is at an all time low. New firms pop up almost every day, promising the latest technology, and AI tools are spamming us constantly. It is now, more than ever, critical that you select your partners with care.

As a practitioner and student of Lean Six Sigma, here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding who to partner with.

1. Do they define value from a retailer perspective, and deeply understand the problem you are trying to solve?

2. Can they articulate a value in both a qualitative and quantitative way?

3. Can they demonstrate a path to success, with only value-add tasks?

4. Do you trust them to improve the process, and fine tune their offering to meet your needs?

5. Will they support you in your growth plans?