October 22, 2024 • 9 mins
What if aligning your vision with your retail partners could transform your B2B customer experience strategy? In this episode of Experience Action Podcast, we explore how B2B suppliers can effectively engage retail partner staff to ensure a seamless customer experience that resonates with everyone involved. Through transparent communication and targeted training, Jeannie uncovers actionable strategies that go beyond traditional sales tactics, emphasizing the value of shared goals and mutual success. Both parties can elevate their operations and achieve better business outcomes.
Whether you're a seasoned B2B supplier or new to the game, this episode provides valuable lessons on fostering robust partnerships that prioritize exceptional customer service. Tune in and discover how to elevate your network and drive success across the board.
Resources Mentioned:
Experience Investigators Learning Center -- experienceinvestigators.com
The CX Value Chain [LinkedIn Learning Course] -- bit.ly/lilcxvalue
CX Operations [LinkedIn Learning Course] – bit.ly/lilcxops
Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube -- youtube.com/@jeanniewalters
Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
MC (00:00):
Experience Action.
Let's stop just talking aboutcustomer experience, employee
experience and the experience ofleaders.
Let's turn ideas into action.
Your host, jeanne Walters, isan award-winning customer
experience expert, internationalkeynote speaker and founder of
Experience Investigators, astrategic consulting firm
(00:20):
helping companies increase salesand customer retention through
elevated customer experiences.
Ready set action.
Jeannie Walters (00:31):
It's the Experience Action Podcast.
I am here to answer yourquestions.
We have a great one from allthe way across the globe in the
land down under.
Listener Question (00:43):
Hi Jeannie, Peter from the Gold Coast
Australia.
My question is how can a B2Bsupplier with a great customer
experience strategy ensure thattheir retail partner staff are
equally engaged in a customerexperience strategy?
Jeannie Walters (00:57):
This is an excellent question, Peter, and
let me start by saying first ofall, I'm so excited when people
ask me questions about strategyas it relates to customer
experience, because too manyorganizations simply overlook
the strategy of this.
We are all putting in theeffort every day so that we get
better outcomes for ourorganizations.
(01:18):
So the fact that you have astrong customer experience
strategy, I didn't want tooverlook that, so
congratulations on that.
Now the first thing I'drecommend here and this is
something that I see a lot inB2B you might have resellers,
you might have authorizeddealers, you might have
franchises, and when thosethings happen, when you have
(01:39):
that distribution network thatisn't necessarily accountable to
you in the centralized idea ofan organization, it can get a
little sticky.
So here are a few things thatI've seen that have worked in
this particular scenario.
So the first is really havingthat shared vision and goals and
(02:01):
sometimes, even if we can'tmandate it, even if we can't say
this is the way we're going todo it, sharing our vision for
the customer experience, reallygetting specific on the outcomes
that we're looking for aroundthe customer experience can be
super helpful in just aligningwhat we're trying to do.
Now, when I work withorganizations, this is one of
(02:22):
the first things we talk aboutis how do we align within the
organization to have that strongmission and that strong
strategy, and so sharing that,being very transparent and
visible about that can reallyhelp your B2B partners
understand what you're trying todo and make sure that they feel
more aligned with it.
(02:43):
So the CX outcomes here benefitboth of you as well, and so
making sure that you describe itas not just what's in it for
you, but what's in it for them,that will be something that will
drive success andaccountability.
Now, hand in hand with thatcomes really crystal clear
communication and training.
(03:04):
So this is where you can offervalue to your partners by saying
, hey, we are going to come inand have a special training for
you, we'll bring donuts orwhatever the equivalent is, and
you can offer things like thatto really provide what feels
like extra value.
(03:25):
But it's really a win-win foreverybody, because the more you
can train on your strategy, themore you can communicate about
it, the more that alignment willhappen.
So it's really important herenot just to focus on selling.
I've seen this a lot, wherepeople say we're going to offer
you all this great training andthey come in and they just kind
of talk about selling theirproduct or how to sell, and what
(03:49):
we're talking about is thecustomer experience.
So make sure they understandthat this is something that
maybe is not just about whatthey sell for you and the
products that they carry for you, but it could be for their
business overall.
So, again, you want to painteverything as that win-win,
because that's what it is.
It's really a win for yourorganization if they get better
(04:09):
at this, and it's also a win forthem because they're going to
see better results as a businessand then, ultimately, your
customers will feel that as well.
So it really is something thatyou can make sure that you're
including them so that they getbetter results.
This ties a little bit back tohow we recognize our partners
(04:33):
and the individuals who workthere.
I see a lot of recognition andrewards and incentive programs
that are built in the B2B spaceall around selling, and if we
only focus on that, then we aresaying to them that is our
priority.
Now, selling is incrediblyimportant.
We need people to buy ourproducts and services, but if we
(04:56):
have certain standards aroundthe customer experience that we
want them to live up to creatingan incentive program around
(05:28):
that can be really powerful.
Now, the only way to reallyachieve this is if you have
strong feedback metrics or youare able to have visibility into
operational metrics or purchasecycles, or things like that, to
really make sure that you'rerewarding the right behavior.
But you can absolutely buildincentive and recognition
programs around customerexperience so that they feel
like they're really rewarded,frankly, for behaving in the way
you want them to behave anddelivering that experience in
the way that is most importantto your vision and your strategy
, if you have a closerelationship with your partners,
if you have things that youagree are kind of joint key
(05:49):
performance indicators or OKRs,then you might want to look at
how can we include customerexperience as one of those joint
KPIs.
That can be another verypowerful way to really assign
(06:10):
some accountability to this, tomake sure that people realize
this is a real thing.
This is not something we justtalk about and we say, please do
this, we hope you do this, andthen we don't talk about it
again until we come back in thenext year and go through our
training.
We want to make sure this isthat drumbeat of communication
around customer experience andwhy it's so important to our
businesses, not just to ourcustomers.
(06:30):
And then, of course, you needto have constant communication
check-ins, you need to havefeedback loops.
You need to have those tools inplace, not just with your
customers but also with yourpartners, so that you can
understand.
Where are they havingchallenges?
What can we do to help theirexperience improve as well?
So this is really aboutfostering a collaborative
(06:53):
approach so that we can get thebest rewards for everybody
involved.
So this is one of those times Isay it is a win, win, win.
It's a win for yourorganization, it's a win for
your partners and, ultimately,it's a win for the customers you
serve.
So I hope that this inspiresyou to take a little action.
(07:14):
I would love to hear whathappens.
So please keep in touch and letus know.
How did you move that forwardwith your B2B partners?
Were you able to really fosterthat collaboration and co-create
this amazing customerexperience for those that you
serve?
What a great question.
Thank you, everybody out therewho is, day in, day out, working
(07:38):
on behalf of your customers.
I just know that your praisesare not sung enough, so consider
them sung here.
You are a hero for what you do,and it's really important that,
as CX leaders, we continue toarticulate that.
We define what success lookslike and then we lead around
(07:59):
that.
So keep fighting the good fightout there.
Keep throwing these questionsmy way.
Don't forget, you can alwaysleave me a voicemail at
askjeannievip and check out oursite at Experience Investigators
for more resources, and I justreleased two more LinkedIn
Learning courses, all aboutoperationalizing CX and the
(08:20):
value chain around customerexperience.
I would love for you to checkthose out on LinkedIn Learning
as well.
Can't wait to talk to you again, and thanks again for being
here at the Experience ActionPodcast.
To learn more about ourstrategic approach to experience
.
Check out free resources atexperienceinvestigatorscom where
(08:43):
you can sign up for ournewsletter, our year of CX
program and more, and pleasefollow me, Jeannie Walters, on
LinkedIn.
Experience Action.
Let's stop just talking aboutcustomer experience, employee
experience and the experience ofleaders.
Let's turn ideas into action.
Your host, jeanne Walters, isan award-winning customer
experience expert, internationalkeynote speaker and founder of
Experience Investigators, astrategic consulting firm
(00:20):
helping companies increase salesand customer retention through
elevated customer experiences.
Ready set action.
Jeannie Walters (00:31):
It's the Experience Action Podcast.
I am here to answer yourquestions.
We have a great one from allthe way across the globe in the
land down under.
Listener Question (00:43):
Hi Jeannie, Peter from the Gold Coast
Australia.
My question is how can a B2Bsupplier with a great customer
experience strategy ensure thattheir retail partner staff are
equally engaged in a customerexperience strategy?
Jeannie Walters (00:57):
This is an excellent question, Peter, and
let me start by saying first ofall, I'm so excited when people
ask me questions about strategyas it relates to customer
experience, because too manyorganizations simply overlook
the strategy of this.
We are all putting in theeffort every day so that we get
better outcomes for ourorganizations.
(01:18):
So the fact that you have astrong customer experience
strategy, I didn't want tooverlook that, so
congratulations on that.
Now the first thing I'drecommend here and this is
something that I see a lot inB2B you might have resellers,
you might have authorizeddealers, you might have
franchises, and when thosethings happen, when you have
(01:39):
that distribution network thatisn't necessarily accountable to
you in the centralized idea ofan organization, it can get a
little sticky.
So here are a few things thatI've seen that have worked in
this particular scenario.
So the first is really havingthat shared vision and goals and
(02:01):
sometimes, even if we can'tmandate it, even if we can't say
this is the way we're going todo it, sharing our vision for
the customer experience, reallygetting specific on the outcomes
that we're looking for aroundthe customer experience can be
super helpful in just aligningwhat we're trying to do.
Now, when I work withorganizations, this is one of
(02:22):
the first things we talk aboutis how do we align within the
organization to have that strongmission and that strong
strategy, and so sharing that,being very transparent and
visible about that can reallyhelp your B2B partners
understand what you're trying todo and make sure that they feel
more aligned with it.
(02:43):
So the CX outcomes here benefitboth of you as well, and so
making sure that you describe itas not just what's in it for
you, but what's in it for them,that will be something that will
drive success andaccountability.
Now, hand in hand with thatcomes really crystal clear
communication and training.
(03:04):
So this is where you can offervalue to your partners by saying
, hey, we are going to come inand have a special training for
you, we'll bring donuts orwhatever the equivalent is, and
you can offer things like thatto really provide what feels
like extra value.
(03:25):
But it's really a win-win foreverybody, because the more you
can train on your strategy, themore you can communicate about
it, the more that alignment willhappen.
So it's really important herenot just to focus on selling.
I've seen this a lot, wherepeople say we're going to offer
you all this great training andthey come in and they just kind
of talk about selling theirproduct or how to sell, and what
(03:49):
we're talking about is thecustomer experience.
So make sure they understandthat this is something that
maybe is not just about whatthey sell for you and the
products that they carry for you, but it could be for their
business overall.
So, again, you want to painteverything as that win-win,
because that's what it is.
It's really a win for yourorganization if they get better
(04:09):
at this, and it's also a win forthem because they're going to
see better results as a businessand then, ultimately, your
customers will feel that as well.
So it really is something thatyou can make sure that you're
including them so that they getbetter results.
This ties a little bit back tohow we recognize our partners
(04:33):
and the individuals who workthere.
I see a lot of recognition andrewards and incentive programs
that are built in the B2B spaceall around selling, and if we
only focus on that, then we aresaying to them that is our
priority.
Now, selling is incrediblyimportant.
We need people to buy ourproducts and services, but if we
(04:56):
have certain standards aroundthe customer experience that we
want them to live up to creatingan incentive program around
(05:28):
that can be really powerful.
Now, the only way to reallyachieve this is if you have
strong feedback metrics or youare able to have visibility into
operational metrics or purchasecycles, or things like that, to
really make sure that you'rerewarding the right behavior.
But you can absolutely buildincentive and recognition
programs around customerexperience so that they feel
like they're really rewarded,frankly, for behaving in the way
you want them to behave anddelivering that experience in
the way that is most importantto your vision and your strategy
, if you have a closerelationship with your partners,
if you have things that youagree are kind of joint key
(05:49):
performance indicators or OKRs,then you might want to look at
how can we include customerexperience as one of those joint
KPIs.
That can be another verypowerful way to really assign
(06:10):
some accountability to this, tomake sure that people realize
this is a real thing.
This is not something we justtalk about and we say, please do
this, we hope you do this, andthen we don't talk about it
again until we come back in thenext year and go through our
training.
We want to make sure this isthat drumbeat of communication
around customer experience andwhy it's so important to our
businesses, not just to ourcustomers.
(06:30):
And then, of course, you needto have constant communication
check-ins, you need to havefeedback loops.
You need to have those tools inplace, not just with your
customers but also with yourpartners, so that you can
understand.
Where are they havingchallenges?
What can we do to help theirexperience improve as well?
So this is really aboutfostering a collaborative
(06:53):
approach so that we can get thebest rewards for everybody
involved.
So this is one of those times Isay it is a win, win, win.
It's a win for yourorganization, it's a win for
your partners and, ultimately,it's a win for the customers you
serve.
So I hope that this inspiresyou to take a little action.
(07:14):
I would love to hear whathappens.
So please keep in touch and letus know.
How did you move that forwardwith your B2B partners?
Were you able to really fosterthat collaboration and co-create
this amazing customerexperience for those that you
serve?
What a great question.
Thank you, everybody out therewho is, day in, day out, working
(07:38):
on behalf of your customers.
I just know that your praisesare not sung enough, so consider
them sung here.
You are a hero for what you do,and it's really important that,
as CX leaders, we continue toarticulate that.
We define what success lookslike and then we lead around
(07:59):
that.
So keep fighting the good fightout there.
Keep throwing these questionsmy way.
Don't forget, you can alwaysleave me a voicemail at
askjeannievip and check out oursite at Experience Investigators
for more resources, and I justreleased two more LinkedIn
Learning courses, all aboutoperationalizing CX and the
(08:20):
value chain around customerexperience.
I would love for you to checkthose out on LinkedIn Learning
as well.
Can't wait to talk to you again, and thanks again for being
here at the Experience ActionPodcast.
To learn more about ourstrategic approach to experience
.
Check out free resources atexperienceinvestigatorscom where
(08:43):
you can sign up for ournewsletter, our year of CX
program and more, and pleasefollow me, Jeannie Walters, on
LinkedIn.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.