Succeeding in business means being aware of what your clients need at any given time. Inflation is at an all-time high, and every business must transform itself in major ways to ensure client satisfaction. We interviewed business leaders on the major transformations to clients and their importance as recession looms.
The question we asked them in this interview series was – What is the biggest transformation you provide your clients, and how do you facilitate this?
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Cathy Tibbles-Mitchell
Title: CEO
Company: WP Barista
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathytibbles/
Getting clear on your marketing strategy is how to save money in lead generation and create consistent opportunities. Clarity is everything when things are chaotic and money is tight.
Imagine going from money-stressed (is there a worse kind?) bootstrapped small business to carefully mapped-out plan that will save money and guarantee income – all done in three months. That is the clarity and service that we provide at WP Barista.
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Gerrid Smith
Title: Director of E-commerce,
Company: Fortis Medical Billing
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrid-smith-1259622/
Ford breaks down barriers
In my opinion, several decades ago, Ford was in a difficult position. It was unable to function as a unified entity due to IT silos and its structure as a disorganized collection of regional business centers. Ford determined to change after realizing the problems this lack of unity was causing the company. The objectives were crystal clear: streamline the product line and prioritize quantitative data analytics and quality automobiles. Perhaps counter intuitively, Ford slashed 30 percent of the IT budget. This wasn’t just a cost-cutting exercise, however. The true objective was to liberate resources that were previously committed to maintaining an obsolete and fragmented system. These assets could then be utilized to advance digital transformation. Ford was able to focus on innovative projects such as its cutting-edge in-vehicle communications and entertainment systems, Ford SYNC, and MyFord Touch, due to its newfound agility and funding.
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Joe Troyer
Title: CEO & Head of Growth
Company: DigitalTriggers
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-troyer-b0a9ba6/
Leeds City Council opens up
In my opinion, digital transformation is advantageous for more than just businesses. Also, public-sector organizations have much to gain. However, digital transformation can be more difficult for these institutions because they lack the large budgets of some of the corporate heavyweights. By deciding on an open data model, Leeds City Council in the United Kingdom was able to circumvent these budgetary issues and still deliver cutting-edge digital transformation. This method created a vast pool of machine-readable data, which allowed third parties to innovate and develop useful applications. Due to a lack of resources, a number of new digital services, such as the Leeds Bins app for iOS and Android, which provides residents with convenient access to waste management information, are now available to residents. This data approach has been so successful that the initiative has been expanded to include all of northern England.
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Gary Huxtable
Title: Director
Company: SaasMatch
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saasmatch
We noticed many businesses having to cut back on marketing spend or lay off sales staff to stock pile funds for “economic winter”. We help them still be able to grow by providing leads on a pay per sale or pay per lead basis, dramatically lowering their risk and improving cashflow.
We qualify potential buyers, and introduce them to the SaaS product.Takes away the uncertainty of having to hire and new sales staff or spend money on marketing when you’re not sure if it will work.
Whilst we do it for SaaS products, there’s other services out there that can help lower the risk for non SaaS products. It would also be a great way for any sales people that may have been laid off recently to add value to the economy and earn income, rather than sitting around and twiddling their thumbs. Reach out to businesses and offer to provide them leads on a performance basis only.
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Alex Savy
Title: Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Company: Comfy North
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-savy-68681354/
To give outstanding customer service, you must, in my opinion, first comprehend their wants, experiences, and pain points. For these, you must guarantee that your clients have several avenues for providing feedback. This can be accomplished via telephone surveys or an email-delivered feedback form. In addition to surveys, you can also build a complaint system that will allow your clients to voice their concerns more effectively. This will inform you about their positive, negative, and ugly interactions with your brand. This gives you genuine insights on what you’re doing well and where you need to improve. Connecting with your consumers to collect feedback has an additional significant advantage: it helps them feel valued and willing to address their concerns. This can aid in establishing trust and may prevent individuals from posting their worries or negative feedback on social media.
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Andrew Priobrazhenskyi
Title: CEO
Company: DiscountReactor
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreypriobrazhenskiy/
Impact, Results, and Return on Investment
As an expert, I feel that to impress executives, one should emphasise the solution’s influence and future state. You will differentiate yourself from sellers who only emphasise features and benefits. Yes, features and incentives are essential, but you should focus your marketing efforts on their objectives. Show ROI. Clear ROI modelling improves your chances of securing the contract. Numerous vendors make unsubstantiated claims about the outcomes of purchasing ‘x-y-z’ without providing evidence. To demonstrate business and solution comprehension, be pragmatic and prudent with ROI.
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Mark Valderrama
Title: CEO & Founder
Company: Aquarium Store Depot
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markvalderrama/
Utilize Easily Accessible Dashboards to Gain Intelligent Data Access.
In a recession, I feel that data is more important than ever. You must always have current, reliable information on your customers, market, and suppliers. And you need it now. With this level of transparency, you can make the strategic decisions required to meet your customers’ exact requirements and evolve your business beyond the reach of your rivals.
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Josh Pelletier
Title: Chief Marketing Officer
Company: BarBend
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpelletiercreative/
Utilize a Decision Matrix.
As an expert, I believe you need a straightforward method for delegating executive, management, and IC level choices. With a decision matrix, this can be accomplished effectively. This enhances staff commitment and accountability. In addition, it enables your employees to do more jobs without worry of micromanagement.
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David Janssen
Title: CEO and Director
Company: VPNoverview
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjanssen1988/
Numerous businesses, in my opinion, fail to build efficient team coordination, which frequently results in dissatisfied customers. Using intelligent CRM platforms, firms can optimise their workforce procedures to address this issue. Such methods ensure that all parties are on the same page, which is crucial for creating excellent customer service standards. Some of the advantages of adopting intelligent CRM software are: It delivers valuable information about your consumers that can help you understand their needs, sell more quickly, and provide each customer with a personalised experience. It enhances client connection and engagement, hence facilitating the development of lasting customer relationships. Your sales and service teams can collaborate more closely, reducing the likelihood of miscommunication. Customers are granted access to what was promised, hence enhancing customer satisfaction.
The majority of CRM solutions are available on a variety of devices, including PCs, laptops, and mobile devices. Therefore, you may assist your consumers at any time, from any location in the world.
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Martin Lassen
Title: Founder & CEO
Company: GrammarHow
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-lassen-dam-8a291ba6/
I believe that employee support for a change initiative can determine its success or failure. Senior leaders harness the enthusiasm of people by making the transition personal and actively involving them. Successful leaders frequently refer to formative experiences in their own lives to demonstrate their resolve to overcome hurdles. When Andy Grove was Intel’s CEO, he utilized his personal experience of fleeing communist-controlled Hungary at age 20 to encourage the corporation to make bold decisions as it developed into a semiconductor industry titan.
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Alex Uriarte
Title: Personal Injury Attorney
Company: 1-800-Injured Network
Linkedin: LinkedIn
I believe that when you urge individuals to modify how they get work done, it is vital that you also transform how you get work done. Well-selected symbolic activities can have disproportionately large effects. On business visits with his wife, N. R. Narayana Murthy, chairman of Infosys, pays the difference between a single and double hotel room. Murthy transformed a firm he founded with $250 in seed capital into a global leader in consulting and information technology by adhering to the adage, “Credibility comes from eating your own food before recommending it to others.
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Joe Troyer
Title: CEO & Growth Advisor
Company: ReviewGrower
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-troyer-b0a9ba6/
In my perspective, the most transformative aspect of what I do for my clients is to manage their expectations. Unmet expectations are at the root of far too many bad consumer encounters. In some cases, your failure to meet the customer’s expectations may have been due to a lack of awareness on your part, or to circumstances beyond your control. As quickly as possible, find out what the customer wants. Open-ended inquiries are the best way to get to know your customers, so don’t be afraid to ask them at the beginning. Be honest and comprehensive about all terms, even those that aren’t really crucial, before a consumer or client buys something. The third stage is to communicate frequently and effectively with the customer or client.
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Veronica Miller
Title: Digital Marketing & Growth Director
Company: VPNoverview
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vpnoverview
I feel that not everyone on your team desires or is capable of change. Consider each individually. If the replies are affirmative, prompt action is required. Taking difficult actions might have an unexpected positive effect on the organisation as a whole.
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Robert Zeglinski
Title: Managing Editor & Researcher
Company: BreakingMuscle
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-zeglinski/
Sincerely interacting with customers is the most significant change I make for my clients, I believe. Customers are more discerning than you might believe when it comes to faking it. They can tell when they’re being “taken advantage of,” and if they feel that way, they’ll take their money elsewhere. To be successful as a blogger and content marketer, you need to be true and authentic in your approach. The marketplace of ideas is crowded, and you need to stand out if you want to get seen. This means that the only thing that separates you from everyone else on the earth is your true self. Make sure to keep in mind that the truth will always prevail, and it is in your own business’s best interest to be honest from the beginning.
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Robert Warner
Title: Head of Marketing
Company: VirtualValley
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robewarner/
My clients’ biggest transformations are to be good listeners and follow through on commitments. Social media and customer surveys make it easier than ever to engage with customers, but it’s also more crucial than ever to actively listen. Engaging customers increases loyalty. Every firm needs customers. Listen to consumer feedback if you want your firm to grow and thrive. This boosts client loyalty. Ignoring client input is bad. Save time and effort. The main objective of getting client and prospect feedback is to better deliver what they want, improving customer satisfaction, service quality, and customer retention. They’ll know you’re not listening when you don’t implement their advice. They’ll think you only care about making a quick cash, and they’ll lose trust in you.
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Ritesh Jain
Title: Consultant Respiratory and Sleep Medicine
Company: What A Sleep
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ritesh-jain/?originalSubdomain=au
Times of economic distress and recession mean that businesses should cut down all unnecessary costs and save up money from wherever they can – this is especially true considering the state of the housing market right now. AI tools and technology allow them to do just that. Many of these tools take over human tasks like scheduling and maintaining accounts, etc.
With these AI tools in place, you won’t need to hire more employees and can even let go of a few existing ones to reduce costs. As a result, helping you make ends meet and ensure your business doesn’t shut down during a recession.
Times of economic distress and recession mean that businesses should cut down all unnecessary costs and save up money from wherever they can – this is especially true considering the state of the housing market right now. AI tools and technology allow them to do just that. Many of these tools take over human tasks like scheduling and maintaining accounts, etc.
With these AI tools in place, you won’t need to hire more employees and can even let go of a few existing ones to reduce costs. As a result, helping you make ends meet and ensure your business doesn’t shut down during a recession.
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George Beatty
Title: CEO
Company: Problem Property Pals
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/problem-property-pals/
The biggest transformation that I provide my clients is related to process improvement. This pertains to the implementation of machine learning and AI technology toward the client’s business model.
It assures that the operations are streamlined, and everything goes smoothly. This service is particularly important in times of recession, as it helps create differentiation. When the process is automated, more units will be produced in a given time.
It would be essential in increasing supply and reducing the overall process costs. The supply would increase, which small businesses can use to help combat recession. When the process is automated, it will help set you apart from your competitors.
The robust process improvement can cause a business to increase its inventory stock, which can be stored in the warehouse. It would be helpful when a recession dominates the marketplace.
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Jessica Kats
Title: E-commerce
Company: Soxy
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soxy-com/about/
The aftereffects of the pandemic and the current recession have caused many businesses to go under. To help our clients weather this storm, we’re helping them come up with new strategies that will enable them to keep their operations running despite the economy. We provide marketing strategy development and, specifically, pricing strategies. Recently, we’ve helped a client who was facing high material costs and could not sustain their operations without raising prices. We developed a shrinkflation strategy for them. This strategy comprises reducing product size without changing the price. It helps companies keep manufacturing their products in an inflationary economy without backlash from their customers.
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Paul Mallory
Title: Founder
Company: ConsumerGravity.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-mallory-78402b222/
he biggest transformation my company has provided to our clients is robotic process automation (RPA). This transformation is mainly acquired by banks, who want to automate their daily operations and tasks. Activities such as customer support and data entry are automated, leading to low error rates and cost reduction. Moreover, the human workload drops significantly, leading the bank to assign the employees new, strategically relevant tasks.
By undergoing this transformation, most of our clients have truly realized how blessed they are to have such top-of-the-line technology available to them in these tough times.
Due to the ongoing recession, digital transformation has become a necessity for most of our clients. And RPA lets them reduce their overall costs. This cost reduction is achieved by lessening their reliance on humans, which leads to lesser human errors and fewer salaries to be paid.
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Andy Kolodgie
Title: owner of Sell My House Fast.
Company: Sell My House Fast
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-kolodgie/
My most popular transformational service is marketing strategy development among my clients. The primary goal is to inform my target clients about the numerous ways they can streamline their company goals according to market needs and trends. Hence, I ask them to provide me with sufficient information to generate insightful reports to forecast future trends.
This helps them leverage their old data and suggest effective marketing strategies. As a result, they can save their precious time and resources in the inevitable recession looming over our heads. Clients re-think and allocate a sufficient marketing budget, which helps them achieve their goals. Thus, even in this uncertainty, the company tends to perform and reach its sales targets.
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Brady McAninch
Title: Founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Company: HM-Attorneys
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brady-mcaninch-j-d-2604999/
Enhance your customer service abilities
First, it is essential to ensure that your customer service team has the necessary skills to effectively manage your customers’ needs. CRM software cannot compensate for deficiencies in this area. But what skills should you seek in a customer service representative? Empathy, persistence, and patience. Certain customers will be angry. Others will have many questions. Others will simply be chatty. You must be able to handle all of them and consistently provide the same level of service. Adaptability. Each customer is unique, and some may even appear to change from week to week. You must be able to deal with unexpected situations, read the customer’s mood, and adapt accordingly. This also includes a willingness to learn, as providing excellent customer service is an ongoing process of education. Effective communication. Ensure that you convey your exact meaning to customers. You do not want your customer to believe he is receiving a 50 percent discount when, in fact, he is receiving 50 percent more product. Use authentically positive language, remain upbeat regardless of the circumstances, and never end a conversation without confirming the customer’s satisfaction. The value of work ethic Customers value a representative who sees their issue through to resolution. In addition, you must have excellent time management skills and avoid taking too much time with one customer while others wait. Focus on your objectives to achieve the proper balance.
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Joel Ho
Title: Founder
Company: InflationTraining
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-ho-mba/
I am the ONLY provider of inflation training for corporations at inflationtraining.com – it is strange to me that everybody is worried about inflation, but nobody is buying training at scale to help everyone get ready!
Inflation is going to dominate, in my view, discussions over the next decade. The companies that are prepared for inflation will be the survivors while many others will fall by the wayside, as historically has happened in every place inflation becomes systemic.
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Abdul Saboor
Title: Full Stack Developer
Company: The Stock Dork
Linkedin: https://www.thestockdork.com/
Improve your customer interactions
As an expert, I would recommend that you are off to a good start if your team possesses the necessary skill set. However, they must still develop rapport with your clients. Here are some suggestions for delivering comprehensive and well-received customer service: Request that your representatives look for shared interests with the people they help. This comprehension makes it simpler to settle issues by humanizing the connection, and it endears clients to your representative and, by extension, your business. Listen attentively to your consumers so that they feel heard. Clarify and restate what the consumers are saying to ensure that you understand them completely. Reflect their emotions and express empathy by saying things like “That must have upset you” or “I understand why you feel slighted.” Even if you are aware of your mistakes before your clients, admit them. This increases and restores confidence and trust. Additionally, it allows you to retake control of the situation, divert the customer’s attention, and handle the issue. Following up following the resolution of a problem. Ensure that the issue has been fixed and that the customer is satisfied with the service. Sending a customer an email or even a feedback survey is an excellent method to convince them that you remain on their side.
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Kristin Marquet
Title: Business owner
Company: Marquet Media, LLC
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/kristinmarquet
As an agency, we’re working with our clients to ensure all of their outward marketing and messaging are consistent across all external consumer touch points. This will make the PR strategy that much easier to execute, build awareness, and attract the right audiences to fill those pipelines.
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