Steve Richard shares how to listen to your customer more and use data to help shape your business using data that comes from unfiltered information and conversations from your customers.
Steve Richard’s mission and life’s work is to help as many sales professionals as possible become wildly successful. After 10 years as a sales trainer he learned that the only way to achieve his mission was through the use of technology to help more sales professionals worldwide.
Steve has been featured in numerous publications and ‘best of’ lists including The Harvard Business Review, The Washington Business Journal, and The Washington Post.
Outside of work, Steve enjoys scuba diving, skiing, running, and watching lots of football. He lives in Arlington, VA with his wife Ellen and their four kids.
Icebreaker
I was a champion Irish step dancer which is odd because I’m Polish, Swiss, and Hungarian.
Think Like A Journalist Quote
Spend a lot of time talking to customers face-to-face. You’d be amazed how many companies don’t listen to their customers. –Ross Perot
Success Quote
Listen to the voice of the customer.
Career Highlight
Steve started in sales and was failing until he received mentorship and eventually ended up starting a sales business. You have to leverage technology…one VP of marketing customer came back and bought the product and wasn’t going to use it…started using it and then became a big fan because of what the product could do for him.
When It Didn’t Work!
What people sell is an artisan tool…who is the craftsman. Steve didn’t understand his artisan tool or who would use it (his craftsman). Find out how learning about this from his mentor helped him.
Top Tips: Why Brands Need To Listen To Their Customers More
- Every week have sales people listen to one of their own calls for a critique session with the manager.
- Delivery of marketplace information to product and Research and Development. Customer success team must record calls.
- Campaign messaging produces leads. Learn what’s happening in those conversations.
- Marketers must listen to the calls, even if it’s just one a week.
Multimedia Resource
Book
Sales Development Playbook
Contact
INTRO: [23:30]…
Thanks For Listening
I know that you have many choices when it comes to listening to podcasts. So, I want to say THANK YOU for choosing The Brand Journalism Advantage.
If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.
Also, I would love a review…it just takes a minute to share your opinion and rating for the The Brand Journalism Advantage podcast on iTunes. Your review means a lot to me and helps others find my show. The reviews also help with ranking of this show and they reviews are always read by me.
Please remember to subscribe to The Brand Journalism Advantage on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live!
