Customer-Centric Strategy Formulation

The disconnect between sales managers and reps in 2025 is wild. Manager: "Just pick up the phone!" Rep: *sends 47 emails, 12 texts, 3 LinkedIn messages, and a carrier pigeon* Sound familiar? 😅 After 20+ years in sales, I've watched this communication gap grow wider every year. But here's what both sides are missing: It's not about choosing ONE channel. It's about understanding WHICH channel works WHEN. The most successful reps I've seen? They've cracked the code: **First 24 hours:** • Email → Sets professional tone • LinkedIn → Shows you've done homework • Text → Only if they've given permission **Days 2-5:** • Phone call → NOW it's time (they know who you are) • Voice note → Personal touch that stands out • Video message → Shows real effort **The truth?** Your manager's right - calls DO convert better. You're also right - cold calling blind is dead. The magic happens when you warm them up FIRST. Think of it like dating: You wouldn't propose on the first date. So why are we calling strangers without context? **My top 3 strategies that actually work:** 1. The "Permission Play" End every email with: "Would a quick call tomorrow at 2pm work to discuss?" (They expect it now = higher answer rate) 2. The "Multi-Touch Warm-Up" Email → LinkedIn view → Call within 48 hours (They recognize your name = 3x more likely to answer) 3. The "Context Creator" Reference their LinkedIn post before calling "Saw your post about X, had a thought..." (You're not a stranger = conversation not pitch) Here's the brutal truth: Managers: Your reps aren't lazy. They're adapting to how buyers ACTUALLY buy in 2025. Reps: Your manager isn't wrong. The phone still closes more deals than any other channel. Bridge the gap. Use both. Win more. What's your take - Team Phone or Team Omnichannel? P.S I'm running a FREE 6-week LinkedIn Social Selling Bootcamp starting Monday 15th Sept, grab a free spot here https://lnkd.in/eVmxsMbM

MBA schools get one thing right. Frameworks. Consultants swear by them. And here's what most CSMs miss: Your job? It's consulting in disguise. Every customer meeting. Every QBR. Every escalation. You're solving problems. But where do you start? That's where frameworks come in. Your secret weapon. Your north star. Your problem-solving toolkit. Let me break down the top 10 that'll transform your CS game in 2025: 1. MECE Not just for consultants anymore. Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive. Perfect for segmenting your customers. Enterprise vs. Mid-market vs. SMB. No customer falls through the cracks. Every account has a home. 2. SWOT Your QBR's best friend. Analyze each account's: Strengths (feature adoption) Weaknesses (unused modules) Opportunities (upsell potential) Threats (competitor presence) Make every review strategic. 3. PESTLE Because your enterprise customers are complex. Political (stakeholder mapping) Economic (budget cycles) Social (team dynamics) Technical (integration needs) Legal (compliance requirements) Environmental (remote work impact) Miss one? Risk renewal. 4. 5 Whys Low product adoption? Ask why. Poor engagement? Ask why. High churn risk? Keep asking why. Root cause analysis saves accounts. 5. BCG Matrix Your portfolio management tool: Stars: Growth accounts Cash Cows: Stable enterprises Question Marks: New logos Dogs: Churn risks Prioritize your time accordingly. 6. Porter's Five Forces Not just for market analysis. Use it for customer health: User adoption strength Executive buy-in Alternative solutions Integration stickiness Budget competition The complete health score. 7. OKR Because "increase retention" isn't enough. Objective: 95% renewal rate Key Results: - 100% QBR completion - 90% feature adoption - 48hr response time 8. RACI Map your customer's journey: Who's Responsible for success? Who's Accountable for renewal? Who needs to be Consulted? Who stays Informed? Clear ownership = Clear success 9. SMART Goals Make every success plan count: Specific feature adoption targets Measurable usage metrics Achievable timelines Relevant to business goals Time-bound implementation 10. 3Cs Customer (their needs) Company (your solution) Competition (their alternatives) The triangle of customer retention. Here's what most CSMs miss: Frameworks aren't rigid rules. They're power tools. For discovering value. For driving adoption. For ensuring renewal. Master these. Apply them to your accounts. Watch your renewal rates soar. Because great CSMs? They're framework ninjas. ------------------ ���️ Want to see more content like this and also connect with other CS & SaaS enthusiasts? You should join Tidbits. We do short round-ups a few times a week to help you learn what it takes to be a top-notch customer success professional. Join 1999+ community members! 💥 [link in the comments section]

I was a VP at Amazon from 2004 to 2014. In that time, every major new product innovation was built using the same exact process. 11 years later, they are still using that process for everything they build. Here’s how it works. The process is called Working Backwards. It flips the traditional invention approach by not starting with a company’s internal capabilities or current products. It starts instead with a clear definition of a customer problem. The goal is to write a press release describing a significant customer problem or need, how current solutions don’t solve the problem, and the new product user experience for a solution to the problem. This approach is “Backwards” because it starts with a press release (the last step in building a new product ). Most companies start building products by evaluating their existing technology or capabilities, or by looking at new trends, and then trying to build something customers will want. Amazon takes the opposite approach. Working Backwards starts with a deep understanding and concise definition of a customer problem before moving to potential solutions. After writing the Press Release, you add a list of frequently asked questions, or FAQs. The FAQs include the likely questions from customers and the press, as well as the typical questions the internal leaders ask about any new product idea, like "How big is the market?" and "How will we solve the technical challenges?" This document forces teams to clarify not only the customer problem they are solving, but also the ideal outcome from the customer’s perspective. This is all done before a single line of code is written or a prototype is built. To do this, teams frame the problem statement, the customer behaviors, and existing alternative solutions. Then, they describe the ideal customer experience, outlining how the product would solve the problem meaningfully. Finally, they anticipate key challenges (legal, technical, competitive, or operational) and document how they will address them. The key here is this: If the problem statement is weak, unclear, or does not represent a significant customer need (with a large TAM), then moving forward with development is a waste of time and money. While working backwards, teams iterate on the problem definition until it is strong and clear, or they move on to a different idea. Amazon has used this process to build many multi-billion dollar businesses, and it remains a core part of their innovation strategy. By working backwards, Amazon ensures that the products they build have a clear reason to exist before any resources are spent. Follow for more insights about building inside Amazon.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭    Business thrives when communities thrive. I was deeply moved by Jumbo supermarkets' innovative "Kletskassa" (chat checkout) initiative in the Netherlands. Instead of rushing customers through checkout, these special lanes encourage conversation and connection for people who want a slower retail experience.   "Many people, the elderly in particular, can feel lonely. As a family business and supermarket chain we have a central role in society. Our shops are a meeting place and that means we can do something to combat loneliness. The Kletskassa is just one of the things we can do,’ Jumbo CCO Colette Cloosterman-Van Eerd said.   It's a brilliant example of how businesses can weave social impact into their core operations. The reality is stark. According to the Dentsu 2025 Trend Report, the world is facing a global "togetherness deficit." Recent global events have left many feeling disconnected – particularly our elderly population. But herein lies an opportunity for businesses to step up:   1. Reimagine existing touchpoints: Every customer interaction can be transformed into a moment of connection. What's your equivalent of a "chat checkout"?   2. Create dedicated community spaces: Jumbo's "chat corners" show how businesses can repurpose physical spaces to nurture belonging.   3. Train staff as community builders: Our team members can be more than service providers – they can be connection catalysts.   4. Identify local needs: Understanding your community's specific challenges helps create meaningful interventions.   The ROI? It goes beyond metrics. It's in the strengthened community fabric. It's in being part of the solution to societal challenges. I believe every business, regardless of size or sector, has the potential to create impact in a way that people feel seen, heard, and connected.      

👥 Are our customers a name and a logo, or a real person trying to help themselves and their companies win each day? Let’s be honest: CS doesn’t always get this right. I don’t always get this right. When things get tough (aka churn risk, low usage, budget pressure) our instinct is to reach for the metrics. What can we quantify? What can we prove? How do we show we’re “doing our job”? We start building dashboards, framing health scores, chasing outcomes. Not wrong But also not enough. Because often, metrics make us feel better internally. But they don't us understand the people we’re here to serve. This is the tension at the heart of CS. We sit between the customer’s lived reality and the company’s operational pressure. And it’s our job to resolve that tension. Not avoid it. Not outsource it. Own it. So here’s what I’m thinking about today: What can we do to drive a deeper understanding across our orgs of client needs and value? And more importantly: How do we humanize the people at those clients? Here are 5 small moves with outsized impact: 1️⃣ Tell customer stories, not just stats. Share a 30-second anecdote at an All Hands Meeting. Real people. Real outcomes. 2️⃣ Bring a voice into the room. Quote an actual user in a roadmap meeting. Let them shape the build. 3️⃣ Translate feedback into intent. Don’t just say what a client asked for. Explain why it matters. 4️⃣ Invite cross-functional teammates to customer calls. Let them hear the tone, nuance, and urgency directly. 5️⃣ Celebrate wins that start with the customer. When a feature lands or a renewal closes, connect it to the human story behind it. CS isn’t just about adoption or retention. It’s about being the customer people engine inside the business. And that starts with us, every day, choosing to fight for understanding, not just validation. #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #VoiceOfCustomer #CustomerCentricity #CreateTheFuture

Imagine an European program to create communities in rural areas around Europe, from digital nomads to digital immigrants, to revitalise our villages, how would that look like? After creating the Nomad Village in Ponta do Sol I got asked a lot what I would do to revitalise more villages around Europe, today we are going to explore exactly that. What we need to know! Remote work was the missing piece when it comes to village repopulation. The migration from villages to cities started during the industrial revolution with the centralization of jobs. People moved to cities to have access to better paying jobs. With the information revolution the same kept happening, if you wanted an office job you had to move to the big city, leave your friends and family behind and start over in the concrete jungle. That reality changed completely with remote work. 30% of the population can work from anywhere and those numbers are just going up. This is the biggest opportunity for a reverse migration from the concrete jungle to villages where we can enjoy a better quality of life, connection with others and live happier healthier lives. But how can we spark this movement? It's all about building communities. Introducing... "The European rural community building programme!" (You are welcome European Union) We are selecting 50 villages all around Europe to repopulate and rebuilt their communities, the criteria: - Available accommodation. - Available fibre internet. - Available community buildings to build coworking spaces, social hubs and other social spaces. - 1 person who wants to be the local community builder In these 50 villages we will implement a 5 year program where we focus on: 1- Building the social and physical infrastructures 2- Prepare the local community to welcome the new residents 3- Promote the village all around the world, welcome testers and build the community Through the preparation and promotion of these villages we will be able to revitalise the communities, create a new dynamic social infrastructure, give an example to the world and above everything help 1.000.000 people live better lives by living in beautiful places surrounded by a community. While this is all hypothetical, we now have the conditions to implement this project at an European level and change the decline of our rural areas, we are one well implemented project away. Will the European Union in partnership with the World Economic Forum and others take action or miss this huge opportunity? #remotework #rural #villages (Picture from Sinaia Nomad Experience in Romania, where we worked with a group of nomads and loved it!)

🚀 From Customer Complaints to Operational Excellence: A Blueprint for Any Industry As a management consultant, I see many companies struggle with the same challenge: high customer complaints and slow resolution times. But this WCOM case study in viscose fiber manufacturing shows a clear path to turn complaints into a strategic advantage—and the lessons apply far beyond manufacturing. Why This Case Matters Every industry faces customer complaints, but most companies: ❌ Treat them as one-off fires to put out ❌ Lack structured processes to prevent recurrence ❌ Have no real-time visibility into root causes This manufacturer flipped the script—here’s how: 1. Start with Data: Loss Deployment Analysis Instead of guessing, they mapped where and why losses occurred (defects, delays, miscommunication). → Your Takeaway: Use Pareto analysis to identify the 20% of issues causing 80% of complaints. 2. Pilot Before Scaling They tested changes in a controlled environment before full rollout—reducing risk and proving ROI fast. → Your Takeaway: Run a 90-day pilot on one product line or region to refine your approach. 3. Daily Control = Sustainable Results A cross-functional team met daily to track progress, assign ownership, and escalate bottlenecks. → Your Takeaway: Implement a visual management system (e.g., Kanban) to keep complaints visible and actionable. Who Can Apply This? Retail/E-commerce: Reduce returns and negative reviews by spotting quality trends early. Banks/Fintech: Cut complaint resolution time by streamlining cross-department handoffs. Healthcare: Improve patient satisfaction by addressing recurring service failures. The Bigger Picture Complaints aren’t just problems—they’re free feedback highlighting operational gaps. Companies that systematize complaint management don’t just improve satisfaction—they reduce costs, boost retention, and outpace competitors. Need help adapting this framework to your business? Let’s talk. #OperationalExcellence #ProcessImprovement #LeanSixSigma #ComplaintManagement #healthcare 

From my new Harvard Business Review article, here’s how to create the last of four pillars that innovative organizations need – Innovation Communities: Innovations often happen at intersections, yet many companies lack ways for innovators to connect informally and see where conversations go. This can also make innovation a lonely endeavor. It doesn’t cost much or take a lot of time to provide people with common innovation interests a means to connect and exchange ideas. At the very least, it’ll help keep them motivated. At best, it may trigger new kinds of cross-disciplinary collaborations that open up previously unseen vectors for change. Don’t be Atari, which was abandoned in frustration by an ambitious innovator: Steve Jobs.   What to do instead? Cultivate community. Take the German life sciences company, Bayer. Bayer has created an internal community of 700 innovators around the world who use common resources, join competitions against one another, and nominate local representatives to participate in an annual meeting. These connections then enable discussions about ways to cross-apply methods, business models, and other capabilities that can translate across business units. For instance, the program helped create agricultural finance options that are now offered around the world, stemming in part from an idea that originated in Bayer’s corporate finance and marketing departments in Greece. (How have you built innovation communities? Please share your approaches in the comments!)

Grateful to be featured in the "Shoptalk Hot Takes" interview by Blenheim Chalcot and ClickZ.com alongside George Looker to unpack omnichannel commerce. 5 key takeaways and tactics from my conversation: 1. Design for Customer Continuity, Not Just Channel Expansion 💡 71% of customers expect brands to personalize interactions across every touchpoint. Tactical: Map out customer journey across channels, then design experiences that recognize and reward continuity—cart persistence, loyalty rewards, browsing history sync, etc. 2. Build the Infrastructure: Unify Data Streams Across All Touchpoints 🧠 Data fragmentation = missed opportunity Tactical: Integrate POS, e-commerce, mobile, social, and marketplace data into a centralized data lake or unified commerce platform. 3. Establish a Single Source of Truth for Customer Profiles 🔍 Brands with unified profiles see up to 2x better campaign performance. Tactical: Implement Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) to consolidate behavioral, transactional, and engagement data into unified customer profiles. 4. Partner Strategically for Scale, Not Just Stack ⚙️ A bloated tech stack doesn’t equal agility As I noted, Retailers are getting sharper about which partners can scale with them. Ecosystem efficiency matters more than ever. Tactical Step: Audit your tech stack and partnerships consistently. Prioritize partners that offer extensibility, future-proofing, and proven omnichannel success. 5. Measure What Matters: Unified KPIs Across Commerce 📈 You can’t optimize what you don’t measure holistically Tactical: Align your analytics stack to report holistically across channels—tie marketing to merchandising, CX to LTV, and inventory to revenue. 🧠 Bottom line: think holistically, move strategically, and build ecosystems that scale experience with agility, not just transactions. Complete list in comment 👇 #ecommerce #omnichannel #unifiedcommerce

How Implementing Live Chat Transformed Customer Engagement for Client of Mine. Case Study: Improving Customer Engagement and Efficiency with Live Chat Implementation A client of mine, a mid-sized E-commerce business, approached me as they were struggling with a few common pain points: ❌️Slow response times to customer inquiries ❌️Low engagement and high abandonment rates on their website ❌️A high customer service cost due to reliance on phone and email support The solution? Live Chat. After analysing their customer journey, I identified strategic points on their website where live chat could make the most impact: on product pages, checkout pages, and the support section. Here’s how I did it: 1. Selecting the Right Live Chat Tool: We implemented a robust, scalable live chat platform with automation capabilities. 2. Training the Customer Service Team: We provided live chat training focused on quick responses, effective communication, and upselling tactics. 3. Setting Up Chatbots for FAQs: For common questions, we designed a chatbot to handle simple inquiries, allowing human agents to focus on complex issues. The Result: ✔️ Response Times Improved by 80%: ✔️ Increased Sales Conversion by 25%: ✔️ Cost Savings of 30%: ✔️ Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) increased to 95%: In just three months, their customer experience and saw measurable improvements in engagement, satisfaction, and sales. Key Takeaway: If your business relies heavily on customer interactions, live chat can be an option to explore. Whether you’re in eCommerce, B2B, or services, adding live chat is one of the most effective ways to evolve. Considering live chat for your business? Let’s chat about how to make it work for you!