I hear it over and over again – “my sales staff isn’t making their numbers.” It is said as if they are on an island by themselves and failing no less. Salespeople are expected to have a gift and perform the mysterious task of selling the product. There’s nothing magical about sales – save for where the passion for doing it comes from. It is a task that most people would rather chew their arms off than do. Sales are all method and strategy – two things that need support – rigorous, focused, evolving support. If you support your salespeople with good materials, expectations, and alignment – then the feedback salespeople bring back to you can be as useful as any. It is simple – If you don’t support your salespeople – they can’t do their jobs. When someone tells me they have the “wrong salespeople” I ask them what they’ve done to understand what’s missing.
Sales Support is Square One
Support. That’s the most important piece. Hands down. Very very few people do it well. I think that’s because 1) software developers don’t put themselves in the shoes of their users (or their managers, or their salespeople, or their support staff) and 2) everyone thinks too narrowly of “support.” Most people think support is a … Continue reading The single most important piece of taking software to market →
You’ve had a vision. You’ve got a prototype and an MVP that’s thrilling. You outsourced the development and got the product up and running – it took longer and cost more than anticipated but you’ve arrived. It wasn’t easy, but you’re here. You’ve put so much money and time into this beautiful little platform/app/service/site. It’s a … Continue reading So you’re done building, what about the support? →
The product you built – after careful market and user considerations needs to grow and evolve over time this can and should be done in a bunch of ways, through different systems, and frequently. It is not enough to just monitor the complaints you get on your helpdesk and address them – do that – … Continue reading Eating Feedback: Customer Product Advocacy →
Once someone has decided to buy your service or give your solution a try you’ve got to step into the support system boldly and strongly with four critical paths: Messaging, interaction, low barriers to entry, and in-depth knowledge of the user. The process of how people buy and why they buy a solution has been … Continue reading Life-cycle Support – On-boarding →
Related Products and Downloads
Getting Executive Buy-in
– A Workbook
Support. That’s the most important piece. Hands down. Very very few people do it well. I think that’s because 1) software developers don’t put themselves in the shoes of their users (or their managers, or their salespeople, or their support staff) and 2) everyone thinks too narrowly of “support.” Most people think support is a … Continue reading The single most important piece of taking software to market →
You’ve had a vision. You’ve got a prototype and an MVP that’s thrilling. You outsourced the development and got the product up and running – it took longer and cost more than anticipated but you’ve arrived. It wasn’t easy, but you’re here. You’ve put so much money and time into this beautiful little platform/app/service/site. It’s a … Continue reading So you’re done building, what about the support? →
The product you built – after careful market and user considerations needs to grow and evolve over time this can and should be done in a bunch of ways, through different systems, and frequently. It is not enough to just monitor the complaints you get on your helpdesk and address them – do that – … Continue reading Eating Feedback: Customer Product Advocacy →
Once someone has decided to buy your service or give your solution a try you’ve got to step into the support system boldly and strongly with four critical paths: Messaging, interaction, low barriers to entry, and in-depth knowledge of the user. The process of how people buy and why they buy a solution has been … Continue reading Life-cycle Support – On-boarding →