Converting Bells and Whistles to Dollars and Cents

Early in my career I presented a solution to Contoso – a maker of widgets for a new technology that was recently released.  I went through all the new features that Contoso could begin to use and all the benefits they would receive by putting this solution into place.  My client was very patient and listened to each and every “reason” that I had presented.  At the end of my presentation, he thanked me but said he had one – and only one – question.  His question was “How does this solution allow me to sell more widgets or how does the solution cut my costs to produce the widgets?  With his one question, I realized I had failed to present the solution correctly.

It doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles a new technology will provide a company.  The bells and whistles are the things that we, “techies” focus on.  What matters most to the client is how the new technology will make the company more efficient – how will the technology help them to cut costs or to produce more.  The lesson I learned that day is that the bells and whistles are what make new technology exciting but as an architect of technology solutions I have to be able to convert those bells and whistles into dollars and cents for my clients.  When we can accomplish that, then we have a solution that truly meets our clients’ needs.

Luckily, I had a very patient client and I was able to show him the business value of the solution we had presented.  I learned a valuable lesson that day and have applied it ever since.  When I present a solution to a client I focus first on what the business need is and how the solution meets that need. 

-Jacob Eker, PEI

PEI Help Desk

PEI is always working on new ways to implement technology to support our customers; recently a decision was made to begin using a software program from Best Practical called RT or Request Tracker.  PEI primarily operates using Microsoft’s Project; each new project is tracked in detail with engineer’s time and billing.   Customer’s issues that come up after a project need timely attention.  We created a new email address Helpdesk@pei.com and any issued emailed to this address will automatically create a ticket in RT and a response is immediately emailed back with the ticket number.  All tickets are placed in a queue.  Tickets are then assigned and monitored.  A detailed history is retained for each ticket and a knowledge base is maintained for further research. 

-Randy Blair, PEI

Great Technology at Your Fingertips

Many times in sales I get so caught up in the technology and selling that I forget the greatness that our technologies bring to clients and even ourselves.  I’ve decided with this blog post that I write about a recent personal experience at a client site.  

I have been working with a customer for some time now on a major infrastructure refresh and given the complexity of the project, we have gone through many iterations of the proposal.  At a recent meeting, onsite at the client site, we were reviewing the latest version of the proposal and there were some adjustments that needed to be made.  Traditionally in a situation like this, I take notes on what needs to be changed, go back to the office, make them, email them to the client, wait for notes and the cycle continues. 

Not this time!  While in the meeting, I was able to access the proposal through our web-based SharePoint services, download the proposal, make the changes, and give it to the client right then and there.  Not only did having this technology at my disposal save me time, but it also made for a happy client as they could now proceed internally with our proposal without a 24 hour turnaround that it used to take.  Having such tools at your fingertips really does impact business in a positive way and I recommend anyone who has a sales team where situations like mine arise on a regular basis, to invest into these technologies as they will see results almost immediately. 

-Arash Zadeh, PEI

Maximizing Your Return on Customer Service

Our business is driven by our customers. Usually we speak to our customers when there is a problem and rarely will they call to tell us how happy they are about a product or service. Why is this? Why are customers so quick to give feedback when they have an issue and yet so reluctant proactively provide positive feedback? Perhaps this is due to the fact that customer may think that we don’t care!

There are a number of things that organization can do to improve customer service and increase communication.

1. Have CEO, CFO or CTO’s answer the phones every once in a while
2. Share success stories and cases where individuals “went above and beyond” to inspire the team
3. Allow staff to take ownership of specific accounts and customers
4. Provide a direct dial to a customer so they know they can follow up with the same person every time
5. Take the time to reach out to customers personally, build a strong report, and develop a deeper relationship beyond just the “sale”

When an issue arises:

1. Accept blame by starting at the “TOP”
2. Show compassion when dealing with an upset or unhappy customer, a little empathy goes a long way
3. If you feel that someone has provided you excellent support for your issue, go to their manager and give them credit
4. Recognize and appreciate outstanding service
5. Be patient, listen, don’t interrupt, and talk “with” not at your customer

There are many “little” things that you can do to improve you customer service.

-Wilder Daniels, PEI