Questions to Shape a Customer-Centric Business Strategy

𝟭𝟬 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 If you can't answer these with confidence, don't spend another dollar on growth. 𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆? Narrow focus beats broad reach. Serving "everyone" kills momentum. 𝟮. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁-𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆? Look at retention, expansion, speed to value not just sales closed. 𝟯. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲? Forget what 𝘺𝘰𝘶 think. What matters is their perception. 𝟰. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀? If your messaging doesn't match this, it won't resonate. 𝟱. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀? And more importantly, do customers actually care about this difference? 𝟲. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆? Double down on what's working. Don't spray and pray. 𝟳. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆? Misalignment here causes leaks throughout your funnel. 𝟴. 𝗜𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀? Underpricing hurts just as much as overpricing, sometimes more. 𝟵. 𝗜𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘆? If prospects get confused, they won't convert, no matter how good your product is. 𝟭𝟬. 𝗗𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁-𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀? Without this, you're not ready to scale, you're still in experiment mode. --- What other questions would you add to this list?

CSMs want to become more "strategic". They say it. And CS leaders say it. Yet we rarely talk about what that means... Here's my take: Asking someone to become more strategic means being able to see a more complete picture. If you can elevate your viewpoint, then you can have better conversations. Here's a framework I think about: Market Lens - your customers' place in the industry landscape Business Lens - how your customer makes money and their strategic priorities Product Lens - how your product enables their day-to-day work over-index on Product. Building from the bottom up is traditionally what CSMs do. "our product this; our product that" If you want to become a better business partner, you need to lean into the Business Lens and the Market Lens. This means getting more comfortable speaking outside of your product - and this is what will be a differentiator as software becomes commoditized. Buck the trend. Learn all 3 lenses. Here are some questions I like to ask to better understand the Business and Market lenses for my customer: Business Lens: --> How does your company actually make money? Why ask this: I want to get to the core of their revenue streams and understand how our product can fit into that mix. --> What are the big bets you’re making this year? Why ask this: This helps me align our product’s benefits with their key business goals and strategic priorities. --> What’s something that you can't seem to get off your whiteboard? Why ask this: This question uncovers pain points and areas where our product can offer the most value. Market Lens: --> Where do you see yourself in the market compared to your competitors? Why ask this: I want to get a sense of their market standing and what they believe sets them apart. --> What trends in the industry are you watching closely? Why ask this: Knowing the trends they care about helps me anticipate changes and offer proactive solutions. --> Who do you see as your biggest competitors and why? Why ask this: Understanding their competitors and what makes them different allows me to highlight how our product can help them maintain or enhance their competitive advantage.

Are you striving to connect with your ideal customers but not quite sure how to start the conversation? Discover 15 insightful questions to engage your ideal customer and foster meaningful dialogue in your next demo. 1) Understanding Their Business: "Can you tell me more about your business and the core services/products you offer?" 2) Identifying Goals: "What are the key goals and objectives for your business this year?" 3) Measuring Success: "How do you currently measure success in your business operations or in the areas we are discussing?" 4) Vision of Success: "What does success look like for your team or company in this area?" 5) Motivation Behind Goals: "Why are these particular goals or this vision of success important to your business?" 6) Current Strategies: "What strategies or tools are you currently using to achieve these goals?" 7) Evaluation of Current Solutions: "In what ways is your current solution meeting your needs, and where do you see room for improvement?" 8) Challenges and Pain Points: "What are the biggest challenges or pain points you're facing in achieving your desired outcomes?" 9) Criteria for a Better Solution: "What would an ideal solution look like for you? What key features or capabilities are you looking for?" 10) Decision-Making Process: "Can you walk me through your decision-making process when considering a new solution or vendor?" 11) Budget and Investment Willingness: "What is your budget for this type of solution, and how willing are you to invest in the right solution?" 12) Timeline for Implementation: "What is your timeline for implementing a new solution?" 13) Success Partnerships: "How do you see a partner like us fitting into your strategy to achieve these goals?" 14) Expected ROI: "What kind of return on investment (ROI) would you expect from a solution like ours?" 15) Long-Term Partnership Goals: "Beyond solving the immediate challenges, what are your long-term goals for a partnership like the one we might have?" These questions are designed to not only understand the customer's current state but also to identify areas where your product or service can add value. It's important to listen carefully to their answers and adapt your demo to highlight how your solution aligns with their needs and objectives. What are some other questions you've seen work for you during your demos? Leave your thoughts in the comments. *Repost to help someone in your network close more deals.