What were your impactful Customer moments in 2023? Five powerful questions for reflection.
Here we are in December 2023 & each of us has lived another calendar year of powerful customer moments. Colourful moments strung together by routine days.
Courageous moments when we dared ask a bold question.
Competitor moments which pushed our hot buttons.
Regretful “shit-hit-the-fan” moments which delivered impactful life lessons.
Satisfying moments when a customer referred to our partnership as “we” for the first time.
Imperfect moments which tested everyone’s resolve.
And elevating moments which helped us realise our hidden potential.
Each were impactful, involving some element of human connection & had the potential to change the game.
Pending our response.
Moments create memories which become etched on our minds. When combined with life’s catalogue of experiences, they form the mechanics of our decision making & shape our path forward.
Our customer is no different.
Intentional, humble reflection is a springboard for personal & business growth. It’s also an investment in our well-being.
There’s a reflective humility tool we work through in Momentum Mindset™ that goes a little like this:
Know yourself
Check yourself
Go beyond yourself
Going beyond ourselves, helps us understand our outlook isn’t the only way of interpreting a situation. When we take the time to understand the perspective of another, we shift the focus from us, to them.
Trust grows. As does human connection. The continually evolving relationship maintains momentum.
How often throughout the year do you stop, reflect & seek the perspective of your customer?
More often than not we simply keep going, reacting to the frenzy of life’s daily demands.
Moments are forgotten. Assumptions are made. Lessons often lost. The momentum of relationship growth slows.
How can we make the reflective process more intentional?
While most of us have wrung the bejeezus out of 2023, here’s a powerful planning exercise to consider for the new year.
It’s a two part tool.
Part One - Customer moment mapping
Customer moment mapping is an exercise of self-reflection. We extract learnings from the year that was, to support our planning for the year ahead.
I use timeline tools constantly for reflection & planning. The visual landscape making it easier to see the bigger, realistic picture.
Once you create a timeline of your preference, these five questions can guide you through the process:
What were you seminal customer moments in 2023? (mark them on your timeline)
What were your learnings from each moment?
Upon reflection, would you do anything differently if they were repeated?
What assumptions are you still making about this moment worth clarifying with your customer?
How will this information influence your planning for this customer’s service & engagement in 2024? (remembering they aren’t the same growth strategy)
The strength of the benefit in completing this exercise, lies with how rigorous you are in challenging your thinking - you need to be your own coach, not your own cheerleader.
In part two of this exercise, I will share with you the “how.” How do we use this information for planning, to strengthen customer relationships & grow our partnership in the year ahead.
Until next time!
Peta x
Sales Coach | Consultant | Founder Momentum Mindset™ online course for sales professionals
Author My Beautiful Mess - Living through burnout & rediscovering me
Mental Health Speaker & Member of Beyond Blue’s speakers program