“You’ve got to move your customers to be a partner. Your aim is to get larger revenues, have partnership relationships with your key customers, so that you have a much bigger share of the purse going forward,” says Janice Gordon, a renowned account management strategist. She joins Alex Raymond in this episode to talk about the importance of account managers shifting from transactional to more buyer-focused relationships. But what does this really mean for companies today? It starts with understanding your customers on a deeper level—not just what they need right now, but where they’re headed and the larger business landscape they operate in.

Janice also talks about the value of creating a frictionless selling environment, one where internal barriers are removed so account managers can focus on forging strong, strategic partnerships. How could this kind of shift impact the way your team builds client relationships?

Janice’s insights offer a reminder for account managers to embrace a customer-centric approach. It’s all about leveraging deeper knowledge and working collaboratively to keep pace with the evolving demands of today’s market, all while driving sustainable, long-term revenue growth.

Quotes

• “Every aspect that a key account manager needs to deal with internally creates a block, creates a problem. It’s possible, but actually it’s not probable. The problem is that we don’t have customer-centric organizations, so all aligned for the customer. We have sales processes, which means it’s internally focused. As soon as we talk about sales, it’s all about us. When we talk about buying processes, it’s all about the customer.” (10:55 | Janice B. Gordon)
• “You’ve got to move your customers to be a partner… Your aim is to get larger revenues, have partnership relationships with your key customers, so that you have a much bigger share of the purse going forward. That’s your aim.” (23:39 | Janice B. Gordon)
• “You want to work in partnership with a few niches so that you’re spreading your risk, and you want to understand how that’s going to happen. But you’re not going to do that if you have a poor product. So, that’s why you do need to understand your own product base, first of all, your own products and services, and where you have the competitive advantage and leading edge in order to appeal to the key customers. (24:08 | Janice B. Gordon)
• “One thing that may not surprise you, but certainly surprises a lot of people, is that active listening is 375% more important to sales success than any other trait. Active listening is key. There are many other factors—21 sales-specific competencies that make a difference—but this one stands out. When someone is really good at active listening, they ensure the person in front of them knows they are the most important, and that understanding makes all the difference.” (31:49 | Janice B. Gordon)

Links

Connect with Janice B. Gordon:

Website: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/

Website: https://janicebgordon.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“Winning somebody back who had experiences with you is easier than taking net new share. You need to understand why they left because certain reasons for leaving are more likely to result in a potential opportunity for a win back than others,” says Tim Riesterer, Chief Strategy Officer at Corporate Visions. He sits down with Alex Raymond in this episode to talk about the expansion sale and the nuances of customer recovery, stressing the importance of understanding why clients leave in the first place. So, why do customers actually walk away? In Tim’s experience, clients who leave over service issues are often more open to coming back than those who switch to a competitor. This makes a well-thought-out recovery plan crucial to winning them back.

Tim introduces “strategic altitude,” which is all about maintaining a big-picture view that aligns with your clients’ broader business objectives. How can account managers handle tough conversations after a service failure? Tim advises focusing on restoring value and demonstrating a commitment to improvement. In fact, these challenges can actually become opportunities to build stronger relationships. By communicating proactively and keeping long-term partnership goals in sight, account managers can position themselves as strategic advisors—helping drive both retention and growth in a competitive market.

Quotes

• “Winning somebody back who had experiences with you is easier than taking net new share. You need to understand why they left because certain reasons for leaving are more likely to result in a potential opportunity for a win back than others.” (04:25 | Tim Riesterer)
• “I think the one thing we always see lacking is just sort of the general agreement that here’s what we’re all working towards. And it isn’t just, ‘here’s the project goals,’ but what were the business goals that caused everybody to decide to take this journey? And what are the corporate impacts of that if we do this right? We call it a triple metric. Project goals. Measure those. But how do those translate to the business outcomes that people wanted? And how does that then impact the ultimate strategic direction impact of the business? Like, daisy chain that thing up. One, two, three, triple metric. And that becomes your guiding story.” (19:50 | Tim Riesterer)
• “The problem is we always say you get delegated to who you sound like. Too many project plans and too many account management strategies do not sound like the people with strategic altitude. So, what kind of business acumen or what kind of financial acumen are you bringing to the table that surrounds the project?” (27:10 | Tim Riesterer)
• “The good news is there’s a concept called the ‘service recovery paradox.’ It’s a paradox for the very reason that you’re experiencing a service problem. But if you recover well, you can achieve greater awareness, advocacy, and loyalty after the problem is rectified than if you had never had a problem in the first place.” (32:00 | Tim Riesterer)

Links

Connect with Tim Riesterer: Website: https://corporatevisions.com/

Website: https://emblazegrowth.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“Happy customers stay, and unhappy customers leave”—or at least that’s what we’ve always believed. But Greg Daines, a customer retention expert, sits down with Alex Raymond to challenge that assumption. Are metrics like net promoter score really reliable indicators of loyalty? According to Greg’s extensive research, retention has more to do with delivering measurable results than simply keeping customers happy. It turns out, customers who see clear, tangible outcomes are far more likely to stay—regardless of whether they’re fully satisfied.

Greg encourages account managers to rethink their approach and shift from focusing on customer happiness to ensuring that clients achieve real, measurable success. What happens when businesses prioritize progress over satisfaction? This results-driven mindset fosters stronger, longer-lasting relationships, as clients who see results are much more likely to stick around. By focusing on outcomes rather than satisfaction scores, companies can boost retention and create a foundation for sustainable growth.

Quotes

• “It turns out there’s just one factor that by far is the best predictor of long-term retention. Nothing even comes close, and that is customers who get results. In the data, customers who get measurable results stay six times longer on average than those who don’t. And the irony is that the measurable part is critical. If they’re not measuring, they might actually be getting results, but they just aren’t tracking it. It turns out that measuring their results makes all the difference. (06:47 | Greg Daines)
• “I’m not saying we shouldn’t make our customers happy—of course, we should. And shame on us if we don’t. The point is, it has nothing to do with whether they stay or how much they pay. It’s irrelevant.” (08:56 | Greg Daines)
• “The other way to think about this is, look, we provide the same product or service to all our accounts, and we treat them as similarly as possible. So, how do we explain the fact that their results vary so much—from incredible to terrible and everything in between? The answer is that there’s a variable we don’t control, which is them, their behavior.” (11:16 | Greg Daines)
• “Renewal is about convincing them they should continue. So you have to approach the renewal not just with evidence of past results, but with a vision of where things can go next. By tracking results, you’ll see opportunities for improvement or growth—whether that’s through change or buying more from you. Either way, it’s about showing forward progress that’s worth their continued investment.” (37:06 | Greg Daines)

Links

Connect with Greg Daines:

Website: https://www.gregdaines.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm