Case study of customer development

Similarly, in the face of prospective customers, some salesmen's stylized promotion methods and empty product introductions are not attractive, and they are always given the cold shoulder by customers. However, if we change our thinking and provide our customers with one more plan, things may become unexpectedly smooth.

Customer development has always been the focus of enterprise marketing, but in the face of endless new products on the market, customers' eyes are becoming more and more critical, which also increases the difficulty for enterprise marketers to develop customers. As an enterprise marketing manager, how to guide subordinates to realize effective customer development smoothly in the drastic marketing environment?

Case comparison:

Hasty behavior will lead to failure.

Xiao Zhang, a salesman of enterprise A, met Xie Mou, a prospective customer, in a certain place and visited him personally. After the first meeting, Xiao Zhang went straight to the point. He introduced the introduction, products and policies of enterprise A to customers in detail. After listening, he simply said, "Your enterprise and products are good, but the price of the products of another enterprise is lower than yours, and I can't sell your products." Coupled with the unpredictable market prospects, we still have the opportunity to cooperate again. "In the face of Xie's polite refusal, Xiao Zhang didn't give up, but there was no other way to persuade the other party, so he had to leave disgruntled.

A plan, let the customer nod.

Xie is an ideal customer locked by A company. Facing Xiao Zhang's failure, the company sent an experienced salesman, Xiao Li, and set hard targets. After receiving the task, Xiao Li is not as eager to visit customers as Xiao Zhang. Because he knows that Xiao Zhang has failed once, if he goes there rashly, it will not only bring difficulties to the customer's development, but also arouse Xie's resentment and lead to the failure of the customer's development. He first made a comprehensive understanding of Xie's company, and then began to conduct detailed research in the market, forming a complete plan. With this plan, Xiao Li visited Xie with confidence.

At first, Xie was not very enthusiastic when he met Xiao Li, but said a few words lightly. When Xiao Li saw it, he cut to the chase and introduced his marketing plan to Xie. From the basic situation of Xie's market, such as population, market scale, consumption level and market structure, to the price, policy, main sales area, existing problems and sales analysis of competing products, to the positioning of enterprise A and products, and the advantages and disadvantages compared with competing products, it is inevitable that Xie feels that this salesman is unusual. Finally, Xiao Li also provided some specific suggestions for Xie to operate the products of enterprise A, including: detailed price setting, channel setting, locking of consumer groups and major consumer places, key points and steps of operation, investment and support of enterprises, resources that Xie needs to invest and input-output ratio, etc. Xie looked at Xiao Li's complete and detailed marketing plan, listened to his clear explanation and nodded frequently. Finally, he was happy to sign a cooperation with Enterprise A immediately and invited Xiao Li as his business consultant.

Comments: The same enterprise, the same products and resources, the same development goals, why did Xiao Zhang's customer development fail? The reason is that he only promotes products for products and enterprises for enterprises. No wonder customers will reject such an original form of customer development. Xiao Li was able to develop successfully because he made full preparations in the early stage and provided customers with an effective and complete marketing plan through market research. It's strange that customers don't feel excited when they see such an attractive and operable scheme!

Tip: Fill your salesman with water.

Many enterprise marketers can't use solutions to effectively develop customers, mainly because of empiricism and lazy thinking. Especially for old salesmen, this kind of thinking is more obvious. However, because new salesmen don't understand the skills of customer development, they usually go straight to the target customers with enterprise products, and the chances of successful customer development are very small. Even if just one or two customers develop successfully, the quality cannot be guaranteed, which has laid a series of hidden dangers for the subsequent market work. As an enterprise marketing manager, how to improve the success rate of business people in developing customers through work guidance?

The first move: strengthen training.

Enterprises can set up special customer development training courses to train business personnel regularly. The training content should include: what customers are most concerned about in the new marketing environment, how to do market research, how to write a market plan, how to quickly grasp customer needs and so on. The writing of the market plan should include: the basic situation of the market, the main situation of competing products, the advantages and disadvantages of enterprises and competing products in resource allocation and products, how to set the channel price, how to use the resources provided by enterprises, the main points and steps of the work, and the input-output ratio analysis and effect prediction.

Representative: Regional Manager of Zhang Moumou Enterprise.

I am the regional manager sent by the company to Hubei to be responsible for market development. Through the investigation and analysis of this market, I know that the company's customer development in this region is not good, and there is still great potential and space for customer development. However, after the new market development task was issued, although everyone was relieved, at the end of the month, when the summary meeting was held, I found that I was the only one who developed two new customers with the plan. An old salesman who has worked in Hubei market for more than two years has developed a new customer through customer introduction, and other business personnel have basically returned empty-handed. At the business analysis meeting, other business people complained that the product was not well known, the price was high, the policy was not favorable, and no customers were willing to cooperate. Later, combined with their actual work situation, the business personnel were systematically trained in customer development. In the second month, although the business personnel did not complete the assigned new customer development index, everyone successfully developed at least one new customer.

The second measure: simulation exercises and process guidance.

In order to strengthen the training effect, marketing managers can organize business personnel to set up scenario drills, from market research to scheme formulation to customer negotiation, simulate step by step, and then sum up experiences and lessons. Through this kind of on-site simulation exercise, the practical operation skills of business personnel can be obviously improved. In addition, in order to reduce the mistakes of business people, the marketing manager can organize discussion and exchange on the solutions written by business people, and then let them visit the locked target customers with the solutions after confirmation.

Representative: Zhu Moumou, regional manager of the enterprise.

Our business training often takes the form of simulated drills, and the effect is good. And from my personal work experience, it is a good way to develop customers with product promotion scheme. But the problem is that many business people can't make targeted solutions according to the specific situation of the market and customers, or the solutions become a mere formality. My method is to guide the business people at any time, and I have to know the situation of the alternative customers and the specific content of the plan in advance. Only after I confirm, the business personnel will enter the substantive customer negotiation stage, so that the effectiveness of customer development will be greatly improved.

The third measure: on-site guidance and personal demonstration

For business people who lack practical experience, simple training and simulation exercises are difficult to make them feel the same way, which requires marketing managers to follow them to do market research, make promotion plans and visit customers. The so-called master takes his disciples around by hand, which is much stronger than pure theory. For those new business people, I find that sometimes the effect of didactic training is not obvious. My method is to show him around the market in person and follow me to do market research, plan writing and customer communication. After several visits, no matter how stupid a person is, he can come up with some doorways.

Representative speech: Marketing Director of Dai Moumou Company

I used to have a salesman who was diligent and smart, but had little work experience. Although he has been trained, it doesn't seem to have much effect. Later, I went to visit the customer myself, so I took him with me and asked him to run the market with me. When I write a market research plan, I will also ask him to come up with ideas and talk about ideas. After coming down several times, he was on his way soon. Now he has become one of the most capable officers under my command.