5 Reasons to Visit Your Customers On the Job
A common complaint many sales teams voice is that their company’s marketing department doesn't take the time to get to know what's really important to the customer.
If this is happening at your company, marketers listen up: A sure-fire way to make your sales team happy is by visiting your customers. So, lace up your work boots and get yourself on a jobsite ASAP!
Here's a list of five takeaways you'll immediately get by spending just a few hours with your customers on the job:
Puts a face to your customers — When you sit behind a desk all day, it's easy to lose perspective of who you are marketing to and what information your customers really need. It's important to remind yourself who your audience is. By putting a face to your customers, you keep them top of mind when crafting your next marketing deliverable.
Helps you generate better ideas — We as marketers spend too much time in conference rooms "brainstorming" ideas that we like, think are cool or will win awards. But guess what, we're not the customer, and all the whiz-bang ideas we generate are useless if they don’t help our customers do their jobs. So, before you create another underused app or launch another gimmicky contest, take the time to find out what your customers like and don’t like.
Learn more about your products and how customers are using them — A lot of marketing material is created from engineering specs, with the rationale that certain features and benefits are most important to the customer. Until you've seen your products in action, it's all just hearsay. When you see them in action and listen to what the customers are saying about them, you'll likely be reprioritizing that list of important features and specs.
Develop great success story — Whether you're currently writing case studies or not after you have a better understanding of what your customers are up to in the field, your writing will become a more informative and entertaining to the reader. When you’re on the phone, your mind isn't able to visualize what you're being told as effectively as seeing it for yourself. And when you’re out onsite, you'll be able to get some great photos of your products in action that don't look like you took them in the parking lot behind your manufacturing facilities.
Energizes you — When you spend a day with your customers and equipment, it will remind you why you do the work that you do and why you love your job so much. Contractors are passionate about their work, and when you spend time with them, it will help you find or renew your spirit.
So, what are you waiting for? Find a customer to visit and GO!