Is trust at an all time low around the world? If you were to read some of the findings from Edelman’s trust barometer you might become depressed. I’m not that much of a pessimist. In fact, I take the position of behavioral economist Dan Ariely that we can find moments of trust in everyday interactions if we’re willing to look for it. Despite this we can’t ignore that today more than any time in history our products and services are exposed to scrutiny, comparison, commodity and competition.  The speed of innovation, technology and a customer that needs to remain competitive just as much ..read more

The hard reality Everyone works hard with and for their customers but not everyone gets a reward. Throughout most of my early career in sales, I struggled. In fact, the first real sales job I had I sold Garden furniture door to door in South Carolina. I worked six days a week for three months straight and sold one deck chair for the grand total of $57. Oh yeah! I also learnt that even the most ineffective and inefficient systems worked long enough produce a result. But, the cost is so much greater in almost every area and the rewards mediocre at best. Slowly and I mean slowly I learned the les ..read more

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Do you really want to be in the same place with your customers six months from now? No one does! Yet thousands of professionals feel that frustration or deep knowing that they should be getting more from their relationships, not just for themselves but for their business and their customers. From my study of 30 years of customer history and behavioural psychology, there have been principles hidden in plain sight being executed by professionals and organisations around the world, maybe without knowing what or why until now… Organisations and professionals who truly earn raving fans and above-av ..read more

What changes are your customers making today that may impact your relationship tomorrow? This is one of a dozen questions every organisation and key account team must ask. Why? Because each change made by a customer today is a step away from your relevance to them in the future. Let me share two examples. Manufacturing company In 2019 we began working with a large manufacturer of silicon products. Over a number of years as taxes and new regulations drove-up their costs. They began to see 20% of their customer base move to explore manufacturing overseas to reduce their own costs, access new mar ..read more

What if leadership was what we really needed in key account management today? Warren Buffett was once quoted saying: “When the tide goes out you find out who’s been swimming naked” In a very unusual and difficult time, many organisations have found themselves naked, exposing their customer relationships, business structures, talent and more. I have to admit my own companies were part of that mix at the beginning of March. It wasn’t until we moved from customer management into personal and customer leadership that things shifted significantly. We created new opportunities, maintained profitab ..read more

The New Normal On March 1st, 2020 the world was hit with a global pandemic that literally transformed the way every business viewed themselves, their markets and their own position within them. Every business was immediately forced to adapt. They adapted to become new kinds of businesses, take on new capabilities, create new ideas, initiate new collaborations and ultimately develop a whole new way of thinking. For good or bad, one of the first statements I heard a week later came from Darwin. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent but one most responsi ..read more

Defining Crisis When we think about crisis we can often immediately cast our minds to natural disasters, global emergencies and PR scandals.  In reality, crises can take many forms and most are hidden from public view but they will have wide-ranging consequences. How can we identify and know what is classified as a crisis in our business?  Crisis can be defined in five characteristics or qualities: Is triggered by significant internal and/or external factors. The escalation of smaller incidents. Has an enterprise-wide and multi-functional impact. Creates disruption in normal busines ..read more

In 2016 I wrote a post on the five foundation steps for stakeholder management success in key account management, that was well received and guided lots of leaders. A lot has changed in those five years from new strategies and technologies, to of course the pandemic that completely changed the way we engage and serve our customers. Almost every business on the planet has been compelled to make adjustments, and in most cases transform the way they relate to their customers from an entirely virtual environment. In light of these dramatic changes, this article takes things to the next level. It a ..read more