Most companies agree that having a customer-focused mindset is key to reducing churn and increasing sales.
Like with the basic formula for losing weight – consume less, expend more energy – there’s also an effective approach to keeping customers happy and engaged: deliver great customer service, keep them informed, and connect them to each other.
But just like with losing weight, this isn’t as straightforward as it sounds.
In a business climate of limited resources and budget, how can you see any real success with a small customer-focused team or in many cases, just a single professional responsible for creating and maintaining these customer-centric campaigns?
The art of being a scrappy go-getter who gets things done
As a small department, you’ll have to learn how to get things done with a finite number of resources, get creative with stretching that budget dollar, and become adept at making the most out of any situation.
Before kicking off any project, it’s essential to establish a clear, practical timeline and set achievable expectations. This involves thorough research and drawing from past experiences to develop these goals.
Inform your leadership team that if they want to successfully execute this initiative within a given timeframe and limited budget, here's what we can realistically achieve.
Just like when planning a vacation, if you have only so much time and money, then you wouldn’t book a month-long stay at a 5-star beach resort.
You don’t want to aim too high and make any false promises that could mark you as unreliable and incapable if those goals aren’t met.
An important mantra for any small department is to make the most of everything.
Consider editing it into short social media posts or using soundbites for a sizzle reel that can be played at your tradeshow booth or during customer events. Find creative ways to repurpose that content to get the most value out of it.
Tiffany Knight Raymond
Low-cost swag ideas
What if you don’t have a large swag budget or have customers who work for organizations with a no-gift policy?
Funny or creative stickers are an easy swag item, but they’re also low-cost to mail out. As an extra bonus, they also promote and socialize your brand as many customers often put these stickers on their laptops or water bottles.
Social rewards are another affordable solution – if a customer speaks at an event or contributes to a blog post, don’t forget to post it on LinkedIn and tag their account to increase their professional profile.
Consider offering key customers LinkedIn recommendations written by someone on your executive or product teams to further promote their expertise in your product.
And don’t forget the simple act of just sending a personal thank you email or better yet, an actual hand-written thank you card. Often, we forget just this extra human touch can create a more memorable experience versus sending out just a branded swag item.
Promoting your wins
Being a scrappy go-getter can only get you so far especially if no one at your organization is aware of it. That’s why it’s imperative to always share your results with others.
Showing ROI to the leadership team will help justify your campaigns and increase the likelihood of future resources. If you can achieve strong results with a limited budget, then you can present the case that with additional resources, you achieve even better results.
On the other hand, be clear that if resources remain the same, then growth beyond this current state might not be feasible.
Also, promote your successes within your greater organization such as through an all-hands meeting or through your company’s Slack or Teams channels. Become your own cheerleader and socialize your wins so that everyone can see what you’ve achieved.
Making friends and allies
A key to surviving as a small department is making friends and allies and actively creating bridges that connect departments together instead of working in silos.
It’s important to take the time to get to know your co-workers and find common interests, but this can be especially hard with remote teams.
I had a co-worker who would schedule her virtual meetings five minutes after the hour. Most people would log in a little early, and that short window before the meeting became the perfect opportunity to connect or do a quick catch-up.
Practice empathy at the workplace – consider how you’d like to be treated by others. Avoid hoarding information and share what you’ve learned with others so everyone can be on the same page.
Nothing is more frustrating than finding out about an activity only after it’s already happened. Sending a roadmap overview to departments, scheduling brief touch-base meetings, and sharing customer data and stories all help to create an environment where others don’t feel like they’re an afterthought.
These actions can encourage collaboration, offer opportunities to align efforts, and support each other’s departmental goals.
Market yourself as a valuable addition to their team.
Investing time in these extra tasks can not only create goodwill and a positive quid pro quo relationship but promote a positive symbiotic working relationship, too.
And don’t forget to give credit where credit is due. Let the leadership team know that working with this person or team was invaluable in meeting your goals and socializing your win as their win, too. People like to be thanked and recognized for their contributions, no matter how big or how small.
While we might not all have the luxury of a world of unlimited budgets, resources, or staff, adopting a resourceful, scrappy mindset and collaborating with others will help you succeed, even as a team of one.
Want to talk to more peers like Arlene? Our Slack Community channel is just the place to do that.
