This post was inspired by Customer Strategy Podcast Ep 7: Joe Schmitt
Have you ever wondered what everyone's favorite topic is?
I know that's broad, but hang with me...
Everyone's favorite topic is...
Themselves.
When given an opportunity to talk about ourselves, think about ourselves, focus on ourselves, we take it.
It's human nature.
Some people do this more naturally than others, but that's a topic for another day.
How can you use this universal law of human nature to your advantage when working with customers?
Aside from the obvious - focus on them - you can help them understand where they are through a framework or a model.
Anything that gives a customer a greater context than they have through a framework or model helps them self-identify where they are in a new context.
So then, they start wondering...
Am I really towards the beginning 10% of this thing?
Am I actually halfway?
Am I leading the pack?
Where am I?
If you've been following me for a while, you know I love frameworks because they have to apply to every situation without being specific to one.
Your customers are unique but I'd be willing to bet that they all share some common traits and a common progression when it comes to going from beginner to intermediate to advanced in your particular area.
You may even have an internal model you use already, just like Joe did in this episode.
What we talked about was taking that internal model and using it with customers so they could understand where they were in this context.
This model was specific to his industry, not his product.
You and your company are the experts and it is up to you to provide some way for your customers to know more about their world.
Don't fall into the trap of making the model be all about you and your product.
Make it bigger than you, your company, your product and focus on the industry you serve.
The added benefit of sharing this with your customers is that they can share it internally.
You will be arming them with industry-expertise and milestones to show progress to their bosses.
In a sense, you're giving them fuel to talk about themselves 🙂
To learn more about how we took Joe's model and applied it with his customers, Click here to listen now.
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Cheers,
Nils
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