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Win and Retain More Customers byUnleashing Your Customers' Voice
Jeff ErnstCo-Founder & CEO, SlapFive
@jeffernst
Customer Voice Marketing
Today’s topics
• Experiences from the frontlines: building a Customer Voice Program
• Why traditional customer proof points and programs push buyers away
• The Questions, Fears & Doubts of B2B customers at each stage of their lifecycle
• 8 ways to get customers to share their stories
We now live and work in a trust economy
@jeffernst
95%
Peers & Colleagues 67%
Vendor Content & Messages
Peers & Colleagues
Who do customers trust?
People like them
Source: International Data Corporation (IDC) 2015 Buyer Behavior Survey
Companies react withRandom Acts of Customer Proof
PR:
Quote for
press release
Customer
Success:
NPS Surveys
Product
Marketing:
Product
reviewsAccount Managers:
Referrals
Sales:Customer Reference
Social Team:
Retweets & shares
Web Team:Testimonial
quotes
Content Team:
Case study
This is expensive, inefficient, not reusable, and a burden that annoys customers
Even worse, these traditional proof points don’t help buyers
Case StudiesHigh-level and genericFull of marketing-speak
No one wants to read them
Testimonial VideosOver-produced
Scripted, not genuinePerceived as ads
Reference ProgramsNever enough referencesOveruse a few customers
Saved until end of sale
First you must recognize that customers have
Questions, Fears, and Doubts
Discover Research Evaluate & Buy Adopt & Expand
2 3 41
•Why should we change the status quo?•What should our goals be?•What are our business & technical needs?•How would we measure success of this initiative?•How would we get buy-in?•Is our organization ready?•What are all the things we need to consider?
•Who’s had a similar problem or goal?•What have companies like ours done about it?•What was their outcome?•What solutions should we consider?•What criteria should we use to compare & select?•How will this impact the way we do business?
•Which vendors have a viable solution for us?•How well does each vendor meet our criteria?•What are the differences between vendors?•What have the experiences of their customers been like?•Your solution is: too slow, too expensive, too rigid…
•What obstacles will we encounter?•How do we get people to use it?•What secrets to success have others discovered?•How do we get the most out of the solution?•Should we use that new product or feature?
Customers have questions, fears and doubts
Discover Research Evaluate & Buy Adopt & Expand
2 3 41
•Why should we change the status quo?•What should our goals be?•What are our business & technical needs?•How would we measure success of this initiative?•How would we get buy-in?•Is our organization ready?•What are all the things we need to consider?
•Who’s had a similar problem or goal?•What have companies like ours done about it?•What was their outcome?•What solutions should we consider?•What criteria should we use to compare & select?•How will this impact the way we do business?
•Which vendors have a viable solution for us?•How well does each vendor meet our criteria?•What are the differences between vendors?•What have the experiences of their customers been like?•Your solution is: too slow, too expensive, too rigid…
•What obstacles will we encounter?•How do we get people to use it?•What secrets to success have others discovered?•How do we get the most out of the solution?•Should we use that new product or feature?
Customers have questions, fears and doubts
All of these questions, fears and doubts are best resolved by your customers, telling their stories, in their own voices.
What will my life be like as a customer?
Customers want to visualize their future
GAP
Marketing and Sales Teams can Close the TRUSTCustomer
1.Ask for experiences & feedback, not endorsements & recommendations2.Make them a hero: build their reputation 3.Make them an insider: listen to feedback AND respond4.Have their trusted contact ask them to share5.Strike at magic moments in customer relationship6.Capture spontaneous testimony7.Offer levels of permission8.Make it drop-dead simple
8 ways to get customers to share
8 ways to get customers to share
#9 Give them something
unexpected
Perks & Appreciation
Solve biggest customer lifecycle challengesBuyers raise objections…………….Objection Crusher
Deals stall because not enough priority………...Urgency Creator
Web visitors don’t take action…………..Conversion Driver
Hard to stand out from the crowd………….Differentiation Validator
Customers are renewal risks……………Adoption Accelerator
Difficult to expand after landing………….Success Secrets
Get started quickly to deliver value right away
Extract golden nuggets from a customer webinars.
Give context to existing customer feedback quotes/testimonials
Carve out the value statements from customer research interviews
Re-purpose comments on product review sites or NPS surveys
Embed customer stories right into
your website
Or on standalone web/mobile pages
Case studies & videosSurveys & formsReview sites/social
“Objection Crushers”“Customer Journeys”
“Competitor Knockout”“Buyer’s Guide”
“Conversion Drivers”“Customer Validators”
ManageCapture
Customer section of siteSpecific spots on sitePowerPointLanding pageSocial media
Deliver
Boards & Cards
MeasureUsage, usefulness, & pipeline impact
Stories- Voice, Video, & Text- Organized & tagged
PromptsTargeted prompting
Spontaneous Testimony:
“Love letters”Support & Sales callsCustomer events
Existing content & quotes:
Mobile Capture
SnaggerPublish
New stories:
Context
An end-to-end platform to capture & unleash the customer voice
Stories
Jeff ErnstCo-founder & CEO
SlapFive
Free 30 Minute “Ask Me Anything” Session
Sample topics:•Findings from research into customer voice•Lessons learned from running voice program•Feedback on your program and assets•How to get support in your organization•Advice on driving change
Request session: jeff@slapfive