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Whenever I speak to business leaders, it’s clear that most people understand the benefits of client insight and well-conducted client interviews. But, there is often a reluctance to ask clients for the time or prioritise these sorts of conversations.
There are a number of things might surprise you when you discover them as a part of a client insight programme. I’ve listed 10 of the most important “surprises” below.
Want to check your assumptions about what your key clients are thinking? I would be very happy to discuss this with you. Drop me a line.
- Someone important and generally easy to deal with will be silently really unhappy. This will be a complete surprise to you.
- Your senior advocates have a sketchy grasp of the services you offer, and will be unable to articulate what differentiates your team from the competition.
- There will be a not-very-senior person who turns out to have a huge influence on the buyers of the services you offer – and you’re at risk of dismissing or minimising their ability opportunity to help you.
- What “value” means will differ from person to person – for some it’s speed, others it’s effectiveness, some it’s the extras – how you support them in their career, or bring learning to their attention. You don’t know unless you ask.
- Successfully turning around a difficult situation creates real loyalty and actual likelihood to recommend – it’s a rare project that goes 100% smoothly, so clear communication and a willingness to be flexible is important.
- Unless you spend time inviting people to reflect on their experience working with you, they’re unlikely to be able to articulate what they appreciate or what you could improve. Asking them to “complete a short survey” can be asking for more work for them, with less resultant insight, than booking a conversation.
- Most business leaders have a grasp of Net Promoter Score. Brits will routinely mark 7, 8 or 9 (on a scale of 0-10), and only one of those scores moves the NPS needle.
- A score of 7 for NPS or overall satisfaction can represent a very mild dissatisfaction or a “gentleman’s 1.” Only a discussion about the reasons behind that rating can articulate which.
- Emotional reactions to working together (how easy it is to do business, how enjoyable it is) are much stronger indicators of retention and recommendation than NPS or overall satisfaction.
- Getting buy in for bids is about creating the perception that a team will be safe with your driving their project. Safety often means bringing “scars” and “war stories,” which articulate how you deal with difficult challenges. Acknowledge that whilst you’re not worried about your capability to deal with it, they will be.