LIft Customer Experience: Remember what it's like to be them

There's an old folk saying that goes like this: "Never forget where you came from, because when you do it's a long road home." 

That's great advice in general, but especially for a salesperson. After all, long before you were in the sales business, what were you? A customer, right? And obviously you still are in most aspects of your life.
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So if you want you (and your team) to be more relatable, to sell with more confidence, and to take business to the next level, it's time to rediscover what it's like to be a customer. And not just any customer, but your own customer. Optimize your customer experience by putting yourself in your customer's shoes. Circle back to how your customers are really experiencing your brand, and your product/service offerings.

Now, don't get me wrong. We're not talking about some vague mental exercise here. If you really want to tap into the power of customer-centered empathy, guide your team through an actionable process. Dig deep into the customer experience with these three steps.

Step #1: Realization (Think of Yourself as the Customer)

It's absolutely vital that you, as a salesperson, constantly remind yourself of what it's like to be a customer. Granted, a lot of companies use buyer personas to help them identify "target consumers." These semi-fictional profiles certainly have their place. However, as a salesperson on the "front lines" of your business, you need to go deeper than demographics and the surface level of a persona's hypothetical sales journey. 

For instance, think about your own customer experiences. Ask yourself questions like:

• How do I buy?
• How do I perform research on a certain brand or product?
• How do I make my purchase decisions?
• What amazing customer experiences have I enjoyed in the past, and what made them stand out?

Write down the answers to these and similar questions. Then, spend some time analyzing those answers for actionable insights.

And don't stop there! Get different perspectives from your friends, colleagues, current customers and past customers. Schedule a team meeting, and ask your employees to prepare examples they can share to educate and inspire the entire team. Have an open dialogue with one another. Encourage creative thinking. Collaborate.

Training yourself and your sales team to really "step into the customer's shoes" is the first step toward optimizing the customer experience and growing your business. In fact, a whopping 86 percent of customers say that they're willing to pay more if it means getting a better customer experience. Chew on that for a moment!

Step #2: Processing (Identify What's Important to Your Customer)

Now that you've gathered quite a bit of data from the "realization" stage, it's time to organize and filter that data into meaningful patterns. Use plenty of questions during this second step to honestly assess the strengths and weaknesses of your product/service offering.

​Think of yourself as a guide. If you were in the buyer's place, how would you want to be guided along your journey? What would be most helpful to you? What would help create a memorable customer experience?

For example, think of the following points:

• How will you be impactful? What can your company do to really leave a positive impression on the customer? How can your company fill a need that the customer has?
• How will you create value? What sets your brand apart from the competition? What do you have that they don't? This line of questioning is a great way to rediscover (or perhaps discover for the first time) your company's unique selling point.
• How will you connect? Which advertising/sales channels are most relevant to your target audience? When will they be most receptive to your messaging?
• How will you live your brand? What can you do to stay authentic and true to yourself and your brand's mission?
• How will you be the extension of your company's brand? What messaging and behaviors will transform you into a "brand ambassador?"
• How will you make your leads/customers smile, and tell others about their journey with you? What will it take to deliver an exceptional customer experience? How can your team go "above and beyond?"

As you process the information you've gleaned from the "realization" phase of this process, you'll no doubt discover new insights about both your customers and your brand.

Step #3: Action (Make the Customer Experience Better)

Finally, it's time to take your research and turn it into results. Develop a workable plan of action to implement the insights and opportunities you've discovered. 

As an example, think about how you could use the information from the previous two steps to improve the customer experience during a sales call. Ultimately, there are three elements of a great sales call — but how can you achieve them?

1. Develop a connection and rapport with your lead. In your research, you no doubt thought deeply about your ideal customer's preferred communication style, the value he or she places on speed of service vs thoroughness of service, his or her interests and concerns, etc. Use those insights to build a rapport with your lead.
2. Demonstrate clear value and alignment between the lead's needs and your company's value. For example, if you're selling for an SaaS company, is your lead more interested in pricing, or in obtaining advanced capabilities? Knowing where the lead is coming from can help you highlight specific value-adding features offered by your brand.
3. Give the prospect constructive, helpful, and clear next steps. Don't end the sales call on an ambiguous note, and don't be vague. Let your lead know the next steps in your onboarding process, and make sure that he or she is in agreement with those steps. That will keep everyone on the same page, and lead to a smoother customer experience.

Keep Learning. Keep Growing. 

At the end of the day, the three-step process that we've discussed will help you to stay aligned with your values, your company's mission, and the needs of your prospects. Basically, it's a powerful way to "remember where you came from," and grow from the experiences you've shared (and still share) with other consumers.

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