Sales is the engine of your company. It drives everything else. Does your sales team understand how to systematically deepen relationships with your customers?
Levels of Customer Relationships
Level 1 - Stranger
The target customer does no business with your organization and does not see a reason to do business with you. You are on the outside looking in. Your approach creates anxiety for the target customer.
Level 2 - Supplier
You have been selected to do some business with the desired customer, however, the relationship is transactional in nature.
Level 3 - Desired Supplier
You have performed well on your promise and exceeded your customer's expectations. Your customer begins to become emotionally engaged in the relationship. They are interested in other products/services you provide and seek to give you a greater share of their wallet.
Level 4 - Trusted Advisor
Your customer perceives you as an expert in your field and is confident that you understand the context of their business and their organizational idiosyncracies. They begin to turn to you for advice. They also begin to offer you advice on how you can increase your value to them.
Level 5 - Strategic Ally
You have become an integral part of how your customer delivers value to their customers. The relationship is collaborative which enables you to address current strategic priorities, as well as anticipate future challenges and opportunities.
Enterprise Lifecycle
Like people, businesses mature. We've identified five distinct phases businesses go through as they mature.
Stages of Business Maturation
Stage 1 - The Experimental Enterprise
At this stage, a single entrepreneur takes on the world with the birth of a new idea. The entrepreneur develops a deep understanding of a particular customer need, and a unique vision of how to fill it. The survival of the company depends on trial and error and the entrepreneur's ability to quickly adapt the value proposition.
Stage 2 - The Performing Enterprise
The entrepreneur's now successful vision is shared with new employees, who do their best to align with the visionary. In this chaotic stage, all activity is highly dependent on the leader and the talents of a few key employees. Results are unpredictable because of rapid growth and the lack of standardized processes.
Stage 3 - The Systematic Enterprise
At this stage, the organization realizes the need for consistent performance and seeks to systematize its winning formula. A professional management team is usually brought in to develop functional processes and strategies based on best practices.
Stage 4 - The Adaptive Enterprise
The organization begins to realize its winning formula is running out of steam. It seeks to deepen its perspective regarding the specific needs of its customers in order to gain greater relevance. Feedback is sought from strategic customers, and this feedback is integrated into the company's ongoing evolution.
Stage 5 - The Preemptive Enterprise
At this final stage, the enterprise has mastered the use of strategic feedback and
the implementation of ongoing change. It is in a position to anticipate customer
priorities based on a deep understanding of its customers and their specific
circumstances. Organizations at this stage are industry leaders providing vision, new definitions of value and strategic leadership for other companies to follow.
Business Prosperity Matrix
Combing the Enterprise Lifecycle (X axis) with the Relationship Lifecycle (Y axis) creates a matrix which predicts ongoing business prosperity. All of Whetsone's offerings are designed to move your company into the Winner's quadrant.
Partial Client List
To see some of the cool companies we've worked with, click here.
Whetstone Guarantee
We understand that exceptional customer service is hard to come by, especially from the vast number of consultants in the market today. We take service seriously and we will do everything in our power to make sure that you are completely satisfi ed with every aspect of your experience with us.
You are the final arbiter of your satisfaction. If you are not fully satisfied with the service we provide, we will redo our work until you are satisfied or we will refund your money. Period.
