As marketers, we all know how important it is to talk to your customers, but are you actually making time for it? Here's how Cognism's VP of Marketing shortcuts the time and effort required to get critical insights from our ICP! Check out his post below.
TaLk tO uR CuStOmErs It’s an easy thing to say as advice, but how many people actually make the time to do it? There are many time saving ways to get information from customers and prospects without having to arrange time to speak to them too, like: ⭐ Listening to Gong calls ⭐ Tools like UserEvidence or Wynter ⭐ Getting feedback from Sales and notes from disco calls ⭐ In-person events ⭐ Inviting them on Podcasts or webinars ⭐ Feedback from virtual or in-person events And a load of other ways I've probably neglected. All these methods can be great ways of getting customer insights without the time, effort and organisation that it takes to get 30-60 mins in front of a customer/prospect. But what happens if you do get time with a customer or prospect, how do you use that time best? I’ve recently been running interviews to get insights and help validate a hypothesis with customers/prospects and been slowly learning how to get the most fruitful conversations. 1. Come with a POV: I did psychology at university and leading questions and labelling were big no nos. But I've now unlearned that, coming to a customer interview with a hypothesis, POV or opinion allows people to tell you you're wrong or start agreeing strongly - that's where the good stuff comes out. You’ve got to set the direction to get the feedback and insight you need. 2. Let the conversation go where it goes: Don’t keep it so rigid to structure you miss the good stuff. Sometimes, your off the cuff question, that is maybe a little off script is what actually gets you to the crux of the matter. Alternatively, it might unearth something you hadn’t even thought about and takes you straight back to the drawing board. 3. Don’t be too rigid about who you want to speak to: You may go in, thinking you only want to speak to decision makers or c-suite. But actually, although you may want to speak to those people, there's a lot of value to be had speaking to all layers and dynamics. Not to mention, people introduce you to people and that's the best way to land your interview. 4. Post-mortem your interviews: I’ve got a big ol’ Figma board going that looks like I'm trying to hunt down a serial killer. But, it allows connections to be made, notes to be compared and each interview not to sit in silo from one another. The quicker you post-mortem the better too. What else would you add? 🤔