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Business bootcamp: the art of building sales, channels & customers II

Priorities and profiles of the firsts customers

“Do not get desperate on how to bring more customers. But have it clear: this is your top priority”, Justin Barney, VP of Worldwide Sales & Business Development at 3Leaf Systems said. One of most effective marketing strategy is by referral, yet this way is less cost compare to other strategies. This should suit you who are trying to bring more customers into your business but likely have no big budget for that.

 

Barney, who works on a start-up company talked about building a customer strategy in these companies. “Many of start-ups understand the benefits of having customers refer friends, family and colleagues, but some haven’t built a program for actively seeking referrals into their everyday operations”, Barney suggested and then give some advices. Here are some strategies to increase your new business through referral:
 

  • -It is important to build customers, then go for the channel
     

  • -It is clever to build a customer advisor board (give options to get shares)
     

  • -Of course that your product manager and sales engineer must know customers, but not only that, also body language and customer necessities
     

  • -After hiring a product manager and a sales engineer let them do their jobs, you do not try to run their business on the day to day
     

PROFILE FIRST CUSTOMER

 

  • -Focus on 5 to 10 accounts and make them successful
     

  • -Look for early adopters who enjoy growing products
     

  • -Willing to have incomplete features, some stability
     

  • -Will pay for your product and will be reference
     

  • -Look to e-business/technology markets, tend to adopt new tech faster
     

BUILDING SALES MOTION

 

  • -Once you built your first sales team expand to a second sales team or third. Definitely have a one to one representative, a sales executive ratio to begin with. Adopt five VARS and make them successful, use these VARS as case studies for launch a VAR program.
     

  • -Structure a leveraged sales model with OEM in mind (you never know how business model may evolve)