Worcester Business Journal

18 Worcester Business Journal | June 26, 2017 | wbjournal.com B uyers are liars! As a former product mar- keter, I focused on helping salespeople sell. A colleague in sales would sometimes say, "Buyers are liars!" in response to a lost sale or prolonged sales cycle. While he wasn't criticizing the prospect for lacking integrity, he was expressing frustration about transactions veering off track. A win-loss interview or post mortem assessment by our team often revealed the prospect said they wanted X only to later buy from a competitor that didn't even have X in their product! It's easy to assume the prospect sim- ply wasn't well qualified, or that the salesperson suffered from happy ears – blind optimism because a meeting went well or the prospect really likes us – but, it's entirely possibly the pros- pect did, in fact, need what she/he thought was X at the time only to change her/his mind. So, how do we know we can trust the intentions expressed by prospec- tive customers? The secret is to not be fooled by polite, even sincere, commu- nication and to trust, but verify, along the way. By focusing on two key dimensions – the when and the why of the sale or loss – entrepreneurs, salespeople, marketers, and even product and brand managers can more effectively hone their approaches to creating, communicating about and delivering customer value. Know when Any credible win-loss analysis must probe the customer's experiences at each of the five basic stages of the buying process: awareness of need, exploration of options, interest in potential solutions, purchase and post-purchase experience. 1) Awareness – What prompted you to begin shopping for (category/type of ) product or service? 2) Exploration – Where did you gather information about possible solutions (e.g., friends, online search, Facebook group, etc.)? Being specific here can help guide future marketing investments. 3) Interest – What top two or three features did you compare across dif- ferent solution options? 4) Purchase – What was the primary deciding factor for making the pur- chase at that particular time? Again, gathering specific feedback here is vital – Was it more about urgent need and less about a specific vendor or price? Was it ease of working with the vendor? Was it product quality? 5) Post-purchase – How satisfied are you with your decision? Know Why Ultimately, asking thoughtful why and why-not follow-up questions is the key to unlocking actionable cus- tomer insights. • Why do you use certain online resources to research options? • Why did/didn't you speak with our salesperson? • Why did you ultimately decide to go with product/service/vendor? •Why would/wouldn't you make the same decision again? Be prepared for, and open to, blunt feedback! Your objectivity and thoughtful reflection are vital to the success of this process. You can't win 'em all, but… By taking an empathetic approach during the sales cycle – both before and after the potential transaction – businesses can gather intelligence and take specific actions to ensure future and sustainable revenue growth, all while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. 10 T H I NG S I know about . . . . . . S e c u r i n g m o b i l e d e v i c e s By Michelle Drolet Michelle Drolet is CEO of Towerwall, a data security services provider in Framingham. You may reach her at michelled@ towerwall.com K N O W H O W Perform customer win-loss analysis T he economy and technology are constantly evolving. You can't expect to succeed without change. Organizational change, whether adding a new division, soft- ware or personnel, means everyone has to adjust. But the outlook for suc- cessful business change is not good. Up to 75 percent of change efforts fail, according to research cited in the Harvard Business Review by Sally Blount and Shana Carroll. Here are some ways you can buck the trend. Resonate with the right team members, those who have the most influence in helping your company make a peaceful transition. Seek them out and communicate effectively with these folks multiple times, write Blount and Carroll. Understand respect is a huge part of reaching a point of understanding with these key stakeholders. "Motivating true change requires unhurried, face-to-face, one- on-one conversation. Email doesn't do it," the article states. You need to talk with them more than once, listen intently, and be open to change yourself. "If necessary, modify your plans. Show that resisters' opinions and feelings matter to you," they write. Know change can't occur in a toxic workplace. If your company is plagued by a climate of mistrust, orga- nizational politics, or the timing or delivery of the news is bad, there is bound to be pushback with little to do with the validity of the idea. "You'll need to spend some time rebuilding trust if you want better results," writes Robert Tanner at ManagementIsAJourney.com. "People don't resist change that they think is in their best interest." Market the change to each group in your company, writes Bradley James Bryant at SmallBusiness.Chron.com. After the main goal is made clear, explain how it affects that particular division. "Explain the new plan in terms … that help each group understand how the new strategy will make their own jobs better or easier," he writes. BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to the Worcester Business Journal 10 1: C h a n g e r e s i s t e r s 10) Always lock your screen. Unlocked phones are always going to dangerously accessible. The first line of defense is a PIN, password, pattern or a biometric measure like your fingerprint. 9) Only install trusted apps. Apps should only ever be installed from official app stores, or your enterprise app store, to reduce the risk of installing malware. 8) Encrypt communications. Whether it's an instant message or an email, you should make sure that all your communications are encrypted to protect them from prying eyes. 7) Consider mobile device management. MDM is essential for ensuring your mobile devices are kept up to date with the latest policy, app updates and security patches. It enables remote wipe and device location. 6) Passwords and privileges Make sure employees only have access to the apps and data they need, and always password protect to avoid data breaches. 5) Use VPN services. Virtual private networks will protect your online activities on mobile, covering data transmission and web browsing. 4) Install the latest updates. To ensure you have the latest fixes for vulnerabilities in the mobile platform and the apps you use, make sure updates are installed immediately. 3) Create mobile gateways. Directing mobile traffic through a specific gateway with a customized firewall can help you protect your sensitive data but still provide convenient access. 2) Educate employees. Teach them to recognize a likely phishing attempt, and make them aware of your BYOD policy. 1) Install security software. Install anti-malware and anti-theft software to help ensure against hacks and theft. BY PAUL JOSEPH Special to the Worcester Business Journal W Paul Joseph is president and CEO of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce and adjunct professor of marketing at the Robert A. Foisie Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. W W

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