What Customers REALLY Want In 2024 | Phillip Swan - 1818

The Sales Evangelist

Are you addressing your customers' pain points? If not, you may not truly understand what they want from you.

In this episode, I speak with Phillip Swan, a top expert in customer experience. Tune in to hear his insights on why customer-centricity is crucial in today's business world, especially in 2024.

Phillip Swan's Background

• Phillip Swan is a seasoned customer experience expert with decades of experience. He prioritizes the customer and helps clients reimagine business models using responsible AI.

• His customer-centric approach emphasizes that while the customer isn't always right, but understanding their pain points is essential.

• Phillip's dedication is also reflected in his work with Lingo Aid, an organization focused on improving customer interactions and outcomes.

The Evolution of the Customer Journey

• Did you know that 76% of B2B buyers avoid human interaction until absolutely necessary?

• Phillip shares why businesses must ensure their marketing efforts provide sufficient information to buyers in the early stages of their customer journey.

• Strategy Tip: listen instead of pitching in initial meetings with potential clients to build trust.

The Essential Role of Trust

• To build customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases, you must first earn their trust.

• Inspired by a 1961 science fiction novel, Phillip explains the concept of "grokking the customer" and its relevance today in truly understanding and empathizing with customers' needs and pain points.

Building Customer-Centric Organizations

• Phillip shares that all organizational teams should focus on the customer, not just the sales and marketing team.

• He clarifies that this approach must include finance, legal, product engineering, customer success, and even the board of directors.

• According to Phillip, customer centricity is about creating a seamless, frictionless experience for the customer.

• It's about consistently meeting their needs with little effort and ultimately enhancing their overall experience with the organization.

Actionable Steps for Sales Leaders

• For sales leaders looking to inculcate a culture of customer-centricity, Phillip suggests actionable steps, including:

• Mapping out business processes to identify and eliminate friction points.

• Fostering a belief system within the organization that emphasizes delivering customer value.

• Encouraging cross-departmental collaboration to ensure a unified approach to customer service.

“Salespeople need to do one thing in my book and one thing really, really well, which is in the first meeting, do not present your stuff.” - Phillip Swan.

Resources

Phillip Swan on LinkedIn

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.