𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬: Often, the initial problems customers bring to us are broad and vague: • We need to increase revenue. • We want world class customer support. And that’s perfectly okay. As consultants, our role is to take these high-level goals and break them down into actionable insights. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀 A great place to begin is by mapping out their core processes. For example, with a goal like "increasing revenue," it’s natural to explore key areas like Sales, Support, Customer Experience (CX), and Renewals. But let’s focus on Sales first. Here’s how: 1. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗽: Start documenting every step of the current sales process, including: • Systems used • Data flows • Manual interventions 2. 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: The devil is in the details. • Are they using pen and paper for certain steps? These “hidden” manual processes often reveal the greatest inefficiencies. • Is data being entered into multiple systems? Highlight these redundancies, they’re ripe for optimisation. 3. 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Good consultants don’t settle for surface level answers. Keep probing with curiosity and empathy. Often, teams may overlook critical details, assuming they’re unimportant. Your job is to uncover these nuances. 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 One golden rule: never walk into these conversations with preconceived notions. (learnt that from the great Pei Mun Lim) Assumptions can derail your understanding and lead to solutions that miss the mark. Instead, listen actively and let the customer’s reality shape your insights. 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 What starts as a vague directive “Increase revenue” quickly evolves into a deep understanding of the business’s current state. By mapping processes and identifying pain points, we can guide them toward meaningful transformation, whether through process improvements, technology integrations, or strategy shifts. This is the true value of consulting: not just solving problems, but uncovering them in the first place.
Zair Zahid spot on 👌🏻 basics is boring but necessary in building a robust solution.. I also love the #DontAssume mantra 🥰
I Help Professionals Who Feel Stuck In Their Earning Potential Land $100K-300K+ Tech Sales Roles At Competitive Companies | Ex-Oracle I Ex-Salesforce I Ex-Shopify | Ex-ClickUp
6dLove this! Keep posting!