Our society is moving away from deep, meaningful relationships to more of transactional exchange.
It’s a scary sight.
What do the best athletic coaches, teachers, and companies have in common?
They elevate their customers as trusted advisors to exceed their goals, all in the name of Customer Success.
I’ll use my rapidly growing TikTok following to set the stage for the power of Customer Success.
I started a TikTok account near the beginning of COVID-19 with my roommate to capture our quarantine life and see what the TikTok sensation was all about. It was right after I got home from a spring break international cruise with my brother and a friend– yes, not too many ships left again after I docked.
As I am now back home, it’s fun to do videos with my parents and hop on current trends.
An impromptu video of my mom offering to do my chores for a week if the video went viral resonated with viewers. The video has over 12 million views and is still growing. The brand of Send It Legend grew stronger.
How did I leverage the video for future growth and interactions? I didn’t “stay in my niche.” I created different types of content that gave viewers with varying interests a chance to be introduced to me. I met my “customers” where they were.
We can take a similar approach when working with current customers and leveraging their successes to acquire new ones. I live and breathe the idea of Customer Success, which, in my view, is helping your customers to meet and crush their defined performance metrics. You have either been a consumer or producer of Customer Success before, but maybe not with the best intentions or execution.
When I coach a swim team or teach individual swim lessons, I want to know the kids’ goals.
Why?
I am there in part to consistently get the kids and their parents through the shadows of darkness and show them the light at the end of the tunnel.
Your customers have the same needs. Renew your vows with your customers often and with vigor.
Next, take responsibility for the relationship, build scar tissue, and remove barriers to servicing customers. It pays off.
My research shows it can cost about a dollar and 5 cents to get a dollar of new first-year revenue but only fifteen cents of Customer Success spending per dollar to get the renewal.
What if we took a year, “turned the firehose on,” and spent forty-five cents per dollar?
When I would send a scorecard to executives in the company of what a single division shop manager was doing in their plant with the product, the executives would be clueless to the fact a plant manager saved the company $100,000, for the second time that month!
My team made sure the champion was known.
How much is a $5 scorecard worth if it gets your name on the top decision-makers’ table and has a tangible financial impact outlined?
Commitment to customers and their long-term success can set you apart from competitors. We need people who want to help their customers succeed. Simple, but the more you evaluate your business relationships, the more provocative it becomes.
A 5-year relationship with a customer offers opportunities to help them grow and innovate that often isn’t there on day 1. Like those friendships you have invested in, customer relationships are the same way. Pursuing only breath in customer relationships can deny us the value that creating depth brings.
Let’s be all-in, move the needle and swing the pendulum back to going deep with our customers.
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Did this resonate with you? Let me know. I will be sharing more Customer Success content soon.
Are you interested in being on the new Customer Success podcast and sharing your story? Drop me a line.
Be a part of my journey at natewoodman.com.
Nate Woodman 