The Grow Show: Business Growth Stories from the Frontlines

How Client Success Can Impact More Than Your Retention Rates

February 02, 2023 Scott Scully, Jeff Winters, Eric Watkins Season 2 Episode 8
The Grow Show: Business Growth Stories from the Frontlines
How Client Success Can Impact More Than Your Retention Rates
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Sharing customer success stories is one of the most effective tools to grow your business. Not only will it give you an edge with prospective customers, but it will also help retain existing customers and empower your employees. Find out how you can implement this in your business in this episode.


Thanks for listening!

Scott Scully:

Welcome back to the growth show where we are sharing business growth tips for those of you that are in the startup mode, or you're on your journey to 50 million and beyond. Our hopes are that we are providing tips actionable advice that you can put into place to make it just a little bit easier on your journey. Because feeling good today,

Eric Watkins:

I'm feeling great. I don't think I've ever felt better. Now that I'm thinking about it. I don't think I've ever felt better. This might be our best episode we've ever done.

Scott Scully:

I'm feeling it. I'm feeling though.

Jeff Winters:

I like I like the lock you came. You came in locked in there for a second Eric, you now that you've thought about it, you've never felt better.

Scott Scully:

I'm not sure that the grown nation is ready for today's episode.

Jeff Winters:

The grow nation never disappoints to my knowledge

Scott Scully:

that you're right about that. You are right about that. We're very thankful to our millions of loyal listeners. You know what I love? I love the fact that we can jump right into probably the most talked about podcasts segment on the planet. Two Truths. And a lie.

Eric Watkins:

Two Truths and a Lie. I think it is

Jeff Winters:

the most a lot of pressure. Yes. And again, I've seen every episode sucks going first, I get no time to ease in. There's no warm up. I don't get to stretch.

Eric Watkins:

You don't need to stretch, I want

Scott Scully:

to stretch you so you want like a warm up back.

Jeff Winters:

Yeah, not somebody that can be a little less funny than me, Hey, kid, I get to

Eric Watkins:

get into

Scott Scully:

I did that for you. I'm way less funny than you. And now you get to be funny. Now that

Jeff Winters:

you say you make a good point here, let me tell you about why or

Eric Watkins:

if that doesn't want to report to duty, oh,

Jeff Winters:

that is the best you just might be the best you've ever felt. Let's talk about our first truth. What sales skills matter the most, when it comes to closing a deal. Want to know one thing all top reps have in common. They build trust and credibility very, very well, I can pretty much guarantee that the top reps on your leaderboard are seen as an expert. This comes from David Kennedy, founder and CEO of replays, I can pretty much guarantee, listen to this, I can pretty much guarantee that the top reps on your leaderboard are seen as an expert. Truth. Being an expert in today's sales world as a salesperson is so important. Because it enables your prospects to let their guard down and be a buyer and sometimes even ask you questions as a salesperson about why or how they should operate within their business. You want to buy from someone that knows all the challenges that you truly face, not just someone who is a generalist, you want to buy from someone who knows your business that knows your industry. And why is that? Because you have confidence that they've done it before. They've done it for other similar to you, and that you're going to be successful. I think this is a hard truth. If your sellers are not focusing on becoming experts, and they're focusing on things like the discovery portion of the call, they're missing the boat, focus them on becoming experts in the industries and in the disciplines of the folks that they saw.

Eric Watkins:

D Do you feel like first of all, at face value agree? But do you feel like you can't establish trust and credibility on a call without being an expert?

Jeff Winters:

Do I know? Because that's

Eric Watkins:

the jump he makes here, right? He's talking about trust and credibility. And then he says, at the top of the leaderboard, they would be experts. And I don't know if those always go perfectly together. But I would 100% agree that people at the top of the leaderboard are experts at establishing trust and credibility.

Jeff Winters:

Let me go the other way, though. If you're a seller, and the prospect sees you as like, whether it's their industry or but like not even an expert in your own shit. Yeah, if they don't think you're an expert in your own area. They think you're just somebody who just started. Those people are not winning. Like I think of our sales. You know, this sales team here sells six $7 million in annual recurring revenue every month. And I look at the top of the leaderboard and what do I hear when I listen to their calls? They are experts. They know their shit. Yeah, they know everything about us. They know about you as a prospect. They might not know where the carburetor is. But they're experts in their craft.

Scott Scully:

I love this one. But I think there's something missing. I do agree that they would know the product or service inside and out and preferably know the industry. Probably more importantly, that they are experts in representing the product or service. But actually, I think the people that are at the top of the leaderboard are experts and can paint the picture. Because I've seen plenty of people that are experts at the product or service that are at the bottom of the leaderboard. And I think that what's missing from this post is that they understand the product or service. And they are experts at painting a picture of, I don't know, if I'm selling, if I'm at, I don't even know Ticketmaster and I'm selling tickets to the Taylor Swift concert, to a to a group, I'm painting a picture of what it would be like to show up at the concert and stop by and get the drink and be in the VIP row and meet Taylor Swift and be right on the side stage and listening to the concert. You've loved Taylor Swift forever. Now you get that personalized VIP experience, then we take you over in a bus and have dinner and like you're getting them to visualize actually being there or using the product or are getting the service. That's the person at the top of the board. There's plenty of people that are at the bottom of the board that know the product or service inside and out. You big T swift guy, I just it's irrelevant because she it's like it has all top 10 slots in the frickin billboard.

Eric Watkins:

You can't admit it. You can admit it to us.

Scott Scully:

I honestly don't like listening. But it's I listened to an interview, Howard Stern. I don't even like Bruce Springsteen. And he was interviewing Bruce Springsteen. What an amazing interview but they were asked him about Taylor Swift and like every artist I think, admires Taylor Swift and how she can write the musician. Hush grits. That's cool. It's relevant, but the person at the top of the board's expert product and service, but they can paint the picture and put you right there in the middle of using it. And either feeling how your business can be better or that problem can be solved.

Jeff Winters:

Do you think Howard Stern, who I love self proclaimed king of all media considers the gross show a competitor? Just honestly,

Unknown:

probably probably for smile.

Eric Watkins:

Yeah, comment strong I would say I'm just curious.

Jeff Winters:

Next, true, quote, after you schedule a meeting, don't forget to ask what Steve Richard calls, bonus questions. These are qualification questions post, you schedule the meeting, you got the prospect on the phone, ask some overtime questions, things that will help you have a more productive call things that will help you qualify you got the prospect there, ask some overtime questions after you've booked the meeting on your cold call. I never knew about this, okay, until I got to this company. And I heard the cold calls. And it was like you'd book a meeting. And then I'd hear like four or five more questions. And I'm thinking, why would you do that you already booked the meeting. But those questions a the prospect doesn't really remember answering them. They don't love answering them. But they are so important to get context and information and nuggets that you can use during the sales call that will help propel you ahead of anybody else that are meeting with and propel you to a great meeting. I say this is true over time, questions,

Scott Scully:

truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, and you've got to get the person. Like if I'm the one setting the meeting, it's one thing but if I'm setting it for someone else, I have to get that someone else excited about going on that meeting. It's such a good point. And I have to give them enough data to be successful. But I gotta tell you, I think that it's going to increase your show rate and increase the prospects excitement about having the meeting, if you ask these questions, but because what I would say is, look, in order to come prepared, I don't want to waste your time. I don't want to waste mine. I want to have our time be super productive. Let me ask you a couple more things. So that I can be prepared when I show up. They're going to appreciate that. And you're going to have a higher likelihood of being more successful in that meeting and having them show up and feel good about showing up because you went the extra mile and asked the extra questions, the overtime questions in which people are afraid to ask thinking that they're going to piss people off, but it'll actually make people more excited about the meeting.

Eric Watkins:

And what Scott said is key key key that you have to preface the overtime questions with why it's important for the prospect to answer because then you're not bothering them. You're doing it for their benefit. And the other element of this is if you ask the same questions you're going to ask in the end, before you secure the appointment, you get different answers because the guard is down we're meeting like we have booked the meeting on the calendar. Now the guards down and you're gonna get better answers after the fact. I love bonus questions. Love it. Overtime questions overtime bonus. Great. Crew Right truth, Steve. Good jobs to use Steve.

Scott Scully:

Steve loves the man loves to keep spreading the good news on LinkedIn. Yep.

Jeff Winters:

But you know what you don't want to spread

Scott Scully:

poopoo the popo?

Jeff Winters:

Justin says it doesn't matter which week he's referring to. This is one of quote those weeks in the US, it's a short holiday week. Everyone has a case of the Friday's for the few days they'll be on the clock. So what should we use this week for? Should we use it for reviewing your q1 2020? Whatever plans? Should we use it to deep dive on a project you've been putting off? Deep diver project? Or should we use it to brainstorm some new ideas? Here's, it doesn't matter. There's 77 holidays. And I'm so happy people think this way. Because it gives others who actually know that holiday weeks can be great weeks to make cold calls, to sell prospects to ask for referrals. People are not doing nothing in the office during how they're just not. We have some of our most successful weeks of the year from a prospecting and selling perspective. during holiday weeks. Hell, every year we get deals on holidays, it's just, this just isn't accurate. And you got to be careful because if July 4 Memorial Day, I mean, you could go on and on and on with the list of holidays where people are just going to sock it in and not work, you know, their usual with their usual rigor. And you're losing weeks, if not months of the year, I would not make any assumptions about what people are doing on short weeks

Eric Watkins:

is the lie. That's a lie period.

Scott Scully:

It's horrible. It's a horrible lie. You're again, I think you ought to start commenting on these threads. You could say that's awesome. Do we do this 77 times a year like during every holiday thank you for spreading incredible content on LinkedIn by the way you are now on LinkedIn most wanted list. Here's a link in the garage. Give it a listen. We're just talking about you. That'll add to the millions of listeners if

Jeff Winters:

anything it also kill my social life

Scott Scully:

it my horrible post. Thank God, I guess that maybe our competitors read it so that they decide to not make phone calls. But you don't give everything else up and you're like, it's a short week. I'm gonna stop parenting. It's a short week, I'm going to stop working out to short week I'm going to stop eating short week I'm going to not everything.

Jeff Winters:

Where does that end do like where does that stop? You know, I've I heard whether it's Thanksgiving weekend is is the Friday before you go up. You know people are late. There's always some people are leaving town. It's Friday before Thanksgiving. What up? You know how it is Presidents Day weekend, nobody's back till Wednesday. Just you really get yourself thinking about shit like this. And it's just wrong. just plow through if you don't have the data to support that. And even if you do have that data to support that you're slightly less productive doesn't

Eric Watkins:

matter. You're differentiating your someone's being productive. Someone's out there doing it.

Jeff Winters:

I'm doing some you're doing some Yeah.

Scott Scully:

It's like a little, it's like a little bit longer drive. You're four hours and you're tired. Like it's a longer drive than normal. It's, um, pull over. It's a long drive and pull over and stop driving. Last thing I'll say on this either.

Jeff Winters:

It's just an excuse to not do shit you don't want to do that's what this is? Yeah, like people will cite this to just not do shit they didn't want to do anyways. Because it's a short week or a holiday week or a Tuesday or entrepreneur

Scott Scully:

or somebody that works for somebody else. Somebody that works for somebody else. That's surprising, isn't it? Yeah. All right. Again, thank you for being the sheriff. Bringing down those that need to be exposed. More more good work. We now find ourselves in the 5050. This one I think is one of the most important, share customer success. You all are thinking of course. Why wouldn't I? I mean, make it a thing, make it mandatory, put it into action, put a process of policy into play. And here's why. Who wants to hear about your customer success. First of all your prospects. They don't want to hear about why you think it's better for doctors offices. They want to hear why other doctors offices think it's better for doctors offices. Okay, so I don't know if you think about that. But in your sales process if you don't have really good success stories and ones in particular in industries or segments Do it immediately. Because then all of a sudden, you know, the proof is from someone else not from you, right? Second thing is, your customers, you know, a lot of you may be in industries where it takes a while for your customers to realize the service, you know, to understand just how impactful it is on their business. So they need to hear about other people consistently, right. So you may think that that's weird that you would share every time you see one of your customers success that someone else is happening, but they guess what everybody wants to be in a club. They want to, they want to join something that's fun, and feels good. And so if you come with some of that success, you're going to retain more of those customers. And then probably most importantly, is your people are working really hard. And they want to know that the work that they're doing is important. So you got to share stories all the time about how they are impacting that customers business. I mean, those are three segments, a lot of times people think about it, maybe just sales, or maybe, hey, I want to make sure our people internally that are doing hard work, understand. You know, but they don't, I don't think they think about all three of those. So I think that somebody should put a process in place as fast as humanly possible. For those three reasons, prospects. Customers retain more, and the people to make them feel good about the work to retain them longer as well. What do you what do you guys think?

Eric Watkins:

I think this is huge, because a lot of companies can get the especially growing companies who we're talking to, can get the disease of me where everything is focused on what is going on internally, and what's going on with the company and the people and how they're growing. And it's all about that, and let's grow our revenue, and let's take our profit up, and no one's talking about the customers. So putting a process like this in place, consistently brings awareness to all the key members of your company of why it's so important, and why we're even really here. Because if all of our clients went away tomorrow, we wouldn't have a business, we wouldn't be here. So this is what it's all about. I think it's crucial.

Jeff Winters:

As leaders in a business, especially entrepreneurs, CEOs, presidents, exec team, you hear this, it gets bubbled to you, in some code, some companies, I suppose doesn't, but most companies like you hear it, you see it. And it's easy to think that everybody else is hearing or seeing what you're hearing or seeing and they're not. The people in the accounting department are not like think about that. Do you think the the person doing collections and every company has a collections person is talking to the customers who are having no, like, there aren't just jobs in your business that need to hear all of the great things that are going on with your customers. And I think it's a big, easy mistake to make. To not remember that everybody doesn't see what you see, especially if you're leading the division or leading a company, you must circulate success stories, it matters to people it gets to their why it gets to their motivation. You must do this.

Scott Scully:

I agree. All right, here's the homework, I would do this exactly. Okay, I would go. And I would make sure to have five really good customer success stories. And then I would sit down and I would share them with your account managers and say, for 90 days, I need you to share these stories with every one of your accounts. Then I would sit down with the sales department and I would say within our sales process, I want you to share these success stories on every one of your presentations, then I would make sure to sit with your entire organization and really celebrate those success stories. And talk about the people that were tied into creating that success. Do that, put those into play, evaluate 90 days later. And I think what you're going to find is your close rates are higher. Your people are impacted and more excited. And your retention rates are impacted. Take those things to the banker thing.

Eric Watkins:

Do your homework.

Scott Scully:

Do your homework. All right. It is time to go find a little gold with Eric what let's go

Eric Watkins:

mining. We're gonna mined for some gross gold. And this is in one of my favorite sections, which is the social media section. And often the social media section can be the Forgotten child. You know, people don't typically think about social and put it at the forefront when they're talking about driving leads. And what's really important seems simple but happens all the time is you put a lot of focus on your website, and you write content and you write blogs and Then they go to your website. And that's where they go. And what you don't think about is repurposing these to all of your other social outlets cost you very minimal money more to do this. And what does it do increases your brand awareness increases, amplifies the content that you have gets a wider reach, builds your online reputation. And the more your content is promoted, the more powerful it's going to be. And ultimately, it's going to lead to driving more leads. So very simply, right now, if you're writing good content, for your website, in the form of on your pages, or blogs, find ways to repurpose that content and distribute it through your social channels.

Scott Scully:

I think that's greater a couple of things to throw into that. Why is I guess it's going to have a minor impact on your SEO and right when Google's making decisions and who to serve up first are looking at social channels and engagement and ongoing, relevant content. But, you know, what I think people don't talk about enough and should be part of the strategy is that's where you can get people to engage, it's a little bit easier to take your content redistributed to LinkedIn, as an example, and then start to get people to engage with that content there. And then that's when you can win over a prospect and make it a little easier to sell. I just think that that's important.

Jeff Winters:

I do too. And it's, you talked about repurposing, don't fall into the trap to think that everything that you post on every area of your digital existence has to be new novel content. I saw a great thought online the other day and said, you know, a great marketing hack for scrappy upstart marketing departments is for someone in their marketing department to sit with the CEO for an hour every week, and let that CEO just brain dump. And that's your that can be like your nucleus. And then you write a blog from that and you package it up for social. And then if social changes and LinkedIn likes longform versus shortform, versus carousels, you can repackage and repurpose that all sorts of different ways. Like, get that incredible nugget, and then make sure you're repurposing it on social in the appropriate most optimal way based on the channel.

Eric Watkins:

Get as much reach out of the content you're writing as possible. You know, instead of spending all this you spent a ton of time and money writing really good content, use it. Use it,

Jeff Winters:

use it the Forgotten child made me forgotten who was gonna forgotten child. I got angry. Face con.

Eric Watkins:

Child. Well, what did you say in the first episode we ever had?

Unknown:

I remember what did I say? You said you

Eric Watkins:

didn't even remember the youngest ones name because you don't know him well enough. But well,

Jeff Winters:

that's different.

Eric Watkins:

That is the Forgotten child. That is the exact definition they're the forgotten. Good thing Katie does Don't

Jeff Winters:

Don't quote me to me.

Scott Scully:

I think that this could be summed up by just making sure that you're doing multi channel marketing, some people answer a call, you know, some people will interact with email that they get some people go searching, if you will, some people literally go to their group on a social channel and make a decision that way by asking the group that they're associated with. So cover all the bases, but right cover cover all your bases. Don't forget social make sure it's the social channels that are relevant in your particular industry. Not everybody has to be on Facebook. That's more of a personalized approach. And, you know, there, there's a certain element that you're gonna get a little SEO juice as well. Sure. All right. Good stuff from Eric, as always. We are now sitting on a pile of gold. Incredible leads more new sales meetings. Jeff, you're always bringing us good ideas from a sales perspective. What do you have today?

Jeff Winters:

Today? I think it's important to all of those introverts out there who have been told their whole lives. They can do anything but sales or sales has never been in their potential job future, that all those liars are wrong, and that we will welcome you here. And that any sales department across this great land should welcome you with open arms. Because to you my introverted friends I say you will likely kick the shit out of all of your extroverted sales. I

Scott Scully:

totally agree. I couldn't agree more on the introvert, bring

Jeff Winters:

on the No, extroverts are great, but there's just it's kidding aside, it's such a bummer. Introverts are often our best salespeople because they ask great questions. They don't over talk there. There's not necessarily microwaves, they're they're slow cookers and the way that they think introverts are great salespeople, and society sucks for making them think otherwise.

Scott Scully:

This is, in my opinion, your best point, so far, I'm

Jeff Winters:

blushing.

Scott Scully:

I'm not kidding, like, and I think it's, you don't want to talk. Right? You're not naturally, the one that's at the cocktail party initiating the conversation, you're way better at someone walking up and you ask a question. So you very quickly can shut up and let them talk. And then of course, you're hearing that and you're really good at being able to ask the next question so that you can stay in your zone, which is not, I want to talk all the time. And those people, in my opinion, over 30 years have been way better salespeople

Eric Watkins:

agree? You're an extrovert? Yeah. So are you are you comfortable, be comfortable with this?

Jeff Winters:

I'm becoming a more of an introvert becoming more of an introvert. For introversion? Yeah, I can't help what I've been given. But

Eric Watkins:

do you get your energy being around other people or by yourself?

Jeff Winters:

Depends on the people know.

Scott Scully:

He's looking very low right now.

Eric Watkins:

I'd like that definition to figure out. I did. I think this is a great point. I think for all the reasons you both have said, but it is the you have sales has always had this reputation. You got to be this smooth, super confident, fast talker. It's not about talking anymore. It's about listening and solving problems. And then once you've listened, being able to articulate your thoughts in the right way. That's it. That's it. And people want prospects want to talk. They don't want to be talked at they when you talk, it needs to be after they talked to tell you what you need to talk about. And I think introverts are great at that.

Scott Scully:

Okay, from sales True Tales from truth. All right. Every time we go into this section, I think God, we've brought such unbelievable advice, things that you can take, put into play, grow your business, and then we screw it all up at the end. What to do or not to do, but it's fun.

Eric Watkins:

It's fun. It's survived another episode. It survived another episode. And for now, and it's the highlight of my week, so I'm glad that we can go into this to do or not to do this one's a good one. We have new year's eve coming up. Big day people love New Year's Eve. Do you stay in? And I'm gonna group stay in with have a little party at your house. Like do you stay in your house? Or do you go out do something fancy? Dress up? Nice. How do you celebrate New Year's Eve? We'll start with you Jeff.

Jeff Winters:

I'm a I'm a firm I'm a firm stand now stay home person on New Year's Eve. And I will always be that way from henceforth post up marriage and look here's the dead New Year's Eve to me is is a legit there's like a logistical thing I don't want to deal with like whatever it is the babysitter got it. No babysitter okay then you get it. It's cold you gotta get right get it right this is like so many logistics that I don't want to that I don't want I want to buy a ticket there's so many things I don't want to mess I just want to be at home just let it be a regular night and then and then the the fireworks. Can we stop with the fireworks. Everybody around me is putting on their own fireworks display. And I don't want it I'm gonna hold. Hold for your fireworks display. I don't want your fireworks display. I don't want your loud music. I don't want your bow ties. I want to stay home. I go out on Tuesday.

Scott Scully:

You don't bang on the pans at your house.

Jeff Winters:

No, it should be illegal. Pan hanging.

Scott Scully:

I think there's buckets. Zero to 25 You're out.

Eric Watkins:

Get out there.

Scott Scully:

You might be out. Meeting you're trying to find your potential wife or husband 25 to 40 You're at the house. You're maybe doing a lot of the same things with some of your closest friends at the house. 40 Plus, you're already in bed.

Eric Watkins:

I respect that.

Scott Scully:

I respect that three buckets. I think that that's how it goes down. Here's the thing

Jeff Winters:

if you have people over how do you get them out?

Eric Watkins:

I don't Yeah, and they got you know You're signing up for people to stay at your house till at least one o'clock go away.

Jeff Winters:

I'm at nine.

Eric Watkins:

I want to check I want the Shasha

Scott Scully:

Jeff went from 25 to 40 Plus there was never the in the home party.

Eric Watkins:

I don't like dealing with other people in general, but New Years especially, but I will say this I think I have a caveat. If you are in town, I'm gonna stay home I'm gonna stay home or go out of town and celebrated elsewhere.

Jeff Winters:

Well of course you're out of town you're gonna go out with tell you can do if you're on a tiny celebrate in your hotel room.

Eric Watkins:

Jeff Don't Don't patronize me

Jeff Winters:

what should I not let your facts get in the way of good story? I mean, I know if you go out of town Yeah, you gotta go out alright, good caveat. If you're out of town, you gotta go out because you're out anyways. Get out of my house though.

Eric Watkins:

to Jeff's house at my house and put my you go into bed put my hands go into me bang

Jeff Winters:

somebody else's pants you

Scott Scully:

better do you know what I'm gonna do later on are kicked in the shoulder. Later on our little tour, we're going to do the dive bar tour. I can't wait. After she's had a couple of drinks. Talking Katie into having a New Year's Eve party at your house every New Years.

Jeff Winters:

Now if we're gonna get to dive bars there's a whole different can of worms I want to talk about to do or not to do go to dive bars not to do

Scott Scully:

somehow he couldn't be more excited to jump on the bus and to go to five St. Louis finest establishments worse, but now the mission of the whole evening is to figure out how we can plan a New Year's Eve party at just love it and stay past 10

Jeff Winters:

The call the police on my own party. Trespassers in my house banging my pants you are setting off fireworks

Scott Scully:

you are going to do that to your kids. I know you're going to be the parent that calls the cops on your own house.

Jeff Winters:

Oh can't wait no no officer that was Sheriff

Eric Watkins:

This is the circle

Scott Scully:

this is Sheriff winters What are you talking about? Hey yeah sir winners

Jeff Winters:

Yeah, we understand there's been a disturbance but can you can you take the hat off big L I'm what am I pretend to help like No, we've got it let's go guys. Everybody in like you're not part of the you're not part of the team. Paul Blart. Yeah, you're you're just a guy that lives here. We're not we don't need your help. You're not. You're not in the FBI. Jeff.

Scott Scully:

You don't listen to the gross show. Okay, we had fun today. As always, we like to remind you to be kind of grow and grind. Let's grow.

Unknown:

Let's grow let's grow. The grow show was sponsored by abstract cloud solutions, certified Salesforce consulting services.

Two Truths and a Lie from LinkedIn
50 for 50
Mining for Growth Gold
Tales from Sales
To Do or Not to Do