Concentrate on the relationship between customers and staff


In business-to-business markets it's simple to concentrate simply on the relationship in between the buyer and also the salesperson. Buyers are, following all, the ones who're responsible for making the final decision on the purchase, and are the ones who will award the contract.

Nevertheless, buyers do not operate in isolation. They're usually working to a specific brief, and this has been handed to them by senior managers who consider the strategic needs of the company when deciding what to purchase.

This choice is produced in the light of what the company's staff believe is essential for the smooth running of their own departments, as well as on factors like strategic direction of the firm, accessible budgets, and so forth. Successful businesses as a result look beyond the buyer and seek to influence those who in turn influence the real decision-makers.

Cisco Systems will be the world's biggest manufacturer and supplier of networking equipment. The company supplies numerous firms in the IT sector with equipment for creating internet, intranet, and extranet systems, and operates globally.

The main users of the equipment are the engineers who set up and maintain the systems in the client companies. These engineers will encounter problems throughout the lifetime of the equipment - new makes use of for the systems will probably be needed, systems will crash occasionally, unforeseen circumstances will trigger new problems or new challenges on a regular basis.

Cisco Systems has therefore established a self-help online technical support system that permits engineers to troubleshoot the systems. What the website also does is allow engineers to share information and discuss problems, so that they can help each other to solve problems that they themselves may or might not have skilled.

This encourages engineers to turn out to be more involved with Cisco, and also generates word-of-mouth (more properly word-of-mouse) recommendations. It also indicates that, as engineers alter jobs or are maybe hired to set up systems elsewhere, they are more likely to make use of Cisco products in their new jobs.

Find out who the final users of your products are. Find out how you can help them to make better use of your products, preferably by direct contact with your company. If feasible, establish links between all of the users of your products, whichever businesses they happen to be working for.

Remember that companies do not buy or use products - people purchase and use products on behalf of companies. Address the needs of the individuals, not the needs of the customer companies.

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This article was sent to us by: Brian Johnson at 01212011

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