How Do You Describe Your Organization?
At the start of this year we, as an organization, opted to put 2009 in the books. We learned our lessons and have moved on to bigger and better things. As part of that process it was important for me to re-visit the list of adjectives I keep to describe how I want our organization to be perceived by all those people who come into contact with us. This is an exercise I've done since 2002 and it always helps to keep me focused as we work to navigate AG Salesworks towards what will be a very successful year end. I keep the list simple, no more than 3 adjectives. For 2010 the list was simple and here it is:
1. Flexible: We want to be viewed as the most flexible and adaptable organization in the Opportunity Generation space. 2009 was a tough year for many of our clients and potential clients and they have finally started to come back to the marketplace with budget. That being said, they have been through a tough year and they are more focused than ever on getting the most value for every demand gen dollar they spend. In addition to that, we've found that they have embraced the concept of outsourcing their inside teams in a more real way. We believe it is essential that these customers are welcomed back to the market place by a teleprospecting firm that will be flexible in their pricing. The pricing surrounding a teleprospecting engagement should be something that is discussed and decided upon mutually by both parties. It is not something that the client should be "made" to understand and accept rather it should be something that is easily understood and fits well into their organizational budget and expectations.
2. Nimble: Offering a custom engagement\pricing and overall client experience is great, but in order to do that well you've got to be able to make changes on a dime. You've got to have a team that is cross trained on all the accounts you work on to meet demand as it happens. You need to be able to change your CRM immediately upon receiving a request from a client or a teleprospector. You've got to have your list sources ready and waiting to generate new (and accurate) contacts for your projects at a moment's notice. And, most importantly, you've got to have a team that loves change and the excitement of solving problems quickly and effectively.
3. Transparent: Our whole goal is to be part of our clients' sales teams. You don't accomplish this by holding back data or limiting their exposure to the reps working on their accounts. You don't do that by having some iron clad 20 page contract, nor do you do that by selling numbers that you can't deliver. We do that by opening up our entire organization to our clients. They need to know everyone that touches their project and to see every piece of data generated. We let them into our operation because they are a paying client and when you pay to do business with a services organization, that organization becomes an extension of your business. For that reason, they deserve to see and hear all that goes on within their AG branch.
Just my way of keeping myself very focused on the perception of my company by those who pay our bills or may pay them in the future. What adjectives best describe your company?
Pete