You're struggling to gather feedback from customers in technical sales. How can you improve your approach?

Gathering customer feedback in technical sales can be challenging due to the complexity of products and services. Targeted Feedback Requests: Specific Questions Leverage Multiple Channels: Surveys, Conducting in-depth interviews to gather detailed insights, Customer Success Meetings, Social Media By implementing these strategies, you can improve your ability to gather valuable feedback from customers in technical sales and drive continuous product and service improvement.

Conduct Win-Loss Debriefs One of the most valuable techniques is to conduct win-loss debriefs after every major sale or missed opportunity. This involves: Sending a gracious email requesting a brief call to understand what went well and what could be improved Asking open-ended questions like "What could I have done better?", "What was your experience with our team?", "How would you advise us to change for next time?" The value of win-loss debriefs, especially soon after a sale, provides invaluable insights.

I once struggled to gather meaningful feedback from customers in a technical sales role. I realised I was asking questions that were too focused on the product’s features, not on the customer’s actual pain points. So, I changed my approach. Instead of asking, “How’s the product working for you?” I began asking, “What’s been your biggest challenge?” or “What would make your day easier?” This shift made the conversations more open, and the feedback became more honest. By aligning my questions with their needs and frustrations, I got the valuable insights I was missing.

Active listening is indeed crucial in technical sales. By genuinely focusing on what the customer is saying and actively engaging with their concerns, we demonstrate respect and commitment. Paraphrasing and asking clarifying questions not only confirm our understanding but also foster a deeper connection, paving the way for trust. This approach ultimately encourages open and honest feedback, which is invaluable for refining our products and services.

In technical sales, active listening is crucial for gathering meaningful feedback. I focus on truly hearing customer concerns, asking open-ended questions to dive deeper into their needs. By being present and attentive during conversations, I gather valuable insights without overwhelming them. This approach builds trust, making customers feel understood, and encourages them to share more details that help refine our product or service.

In my experience over the past 30 years, I have had the opportunity to prove that listening is better than talking. When we are in a sales process, you can be sure that your customers' anguish and anxiety will be proportional to the amount of time they are given to listen to them. Listen, listen, always listen, only then will you be able to create greater possibilities of fully serving your customer.

1. Simplify the ask - Use short, specific questions/ multiple-choice formats to make feedback quick and easy. 2. Follow-up strategically - Reach out after key milestones or product use cases when feedback is most relevant. 3. Offer incentive - Provide small rewards/access to exclusive resources to encourage responses.

To enhance your customer feedback process in technical sales: 1. Emphasize the importance of feedback to customers. 2. Streamline the feedback collection process for customers. 3. Actively engage and listen to customer feedback. 4. Follow up with customers to show their input is valued. 5. Continuously refine and improve the feedback gathering process.

Build rapport with customer. Get into informal interactions to build trust. Clearly articulate the feedback required, could be product features, user experience or support services. Ask open ended questions. Use multiple channels, surveys, follow up emails, phone calls or even social media. Different will react to different modes. Incentivise feedback. Follow up with customer after receiving feedback, thank them for their responses and if possible discuss any changes made using their feedback.

To improve feedback collection, I use direct surveys that are clear and concise. Targeted questions make it easier for customers to provide specific insights without taking too much of their time. By ensuring the surveys are relevant and brief, I increase response rates, gaining actionable data that can drive improvements in the sales process and customer experience.

Leverage Customer Satisfaction Metrics Another approach highlighted in multiple articles is to formally measure customer satisfaction metrics like: Net Promoter Score (NPS) - As explained in Calculate your Net Promoter Score and Why VCs Should Use Net Promoter Scores with Founders, NPS measures how likely customers are to recommend you. Retention/Churn Rates - tracking customer retention as a key product-market fit signal. Consistently measuring and analyzing metrics like NPS and retention can reveal areas for improvement in your sales process and customer experience.

In the fast and furious times we live in today, a survey must take into account a "soft" approach, which takes into account what you really want to know about satisfaction with your product and/or services, valuing in your questions the commitment to the truth of their opinions. No one is better than your greatest partner (your customer) to bring improvements that raise the quality of your products and services, and when this happens, they will be the promoter of your brand.

Surveys are the best option when feedback asked for is unresponsive. Try a mix of open ended questions that can give you more information than just feedback, as sometimes surveys bring ideas to upgrade the technical aspects of product or service and enable a rich scale of detail that can allow us to win more

I think that proactive follow-ups can help spot potential issues early, keep customer relationships strong, and encourage service improvements. For instance, sending a follow-up email or making a call after a purchase to check if the deployment or installation went smoothly, or to see if customers need extra training or support, is a great practice. It not only demonstrates the company’s dedication to customer success but also invites honest feedback on product performance, any challenges faced, or ideas for future updates.

Following up with customers post-sale is essential for collecting meaningful feedback. Create a structured follow-up plan that includes scheduled check-ins via email or phone after key stages like delivery, onboarding, or one-month post-implementation. Automation tools like HubSpot or Salesforce can help ensure these follow-ups happen seamlessly. Consistent follow-up not only gathers feedback but also strengthens relationships. Make sure to emphasize that feedback is used to improve the experience, reassuring customers that their input matters, and thus encouraging more detailed responses.

-Direct Outreach: Surveys, interviews, focus groups. Leverage Existing Channels: Customer support, social media, community forums. -Incentivize Feedback: Offer rewards, create loyalty programs. -Make Feedback Easy: Simplify the process, provide multiple channels. -Personalize Feedback Requests: Tailor requests, show appreciation. -Analyze and Act on Feedback: Review regularly, implement changes.

Always, always, always validate your understanding of what your customer told you. The biggest problems today are still generated by the erroneous understanding of what was said. This creates a stronger connection with each validation response, and remember that this is one of the best times to expand your relationship with the customer.

Leveraging technology can significantly lighten our workload, especially when it comes to analysing client outreach. A well-organized CRM system not only streamlines data management but also provides valuable insights by tracking client interactions efficiently. With CRM tools, we can easily monitor our engagement patterns, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to enhance our outreach strategy, ultimately improving productivity and client relationship management.

Don't leave technology aside, even when conducting these surveys and validations. In this context, you can use CRM tools where you should file all observations, providing access to them, including to your customer. This will show and prove to them that the process is not only open, but also real, serious, and responsible. Best of all, you will show respect for opinions that will change your products and services for the better.

KI-basierte CRM-Tools verbessern die Kundenbindung, indem sie Daten analysieren, personalisierte Marketingkampagnen ermöglichen und den Kundenservice automatisieren. Sie helfen Unternehmen, effizienter zu arbeiten und Vertriebsprozesse zu optimieren. Für Unternehmen, die wettbewerbsfähig bleiben wollen, sind solche Tools eine klare Empfehlung.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Zoho allow sales teams to gather and organize customer feedback effectively. These platforms can track customer interactions, log pain points, and analyze trends in real-time. CRM tools help personalize outreach, enabling you to ask for feedback at the right time, based on customer history. By segmenting customers based on their feedback or usage patterns, CRM systems provide actionable insights, allowing you to tweak sales strategies and product offerings to better meet customer expectations.

Take a moment to get on the same side as the customer. We're in this together focus & not just you trying to sell them something. Ask about their future narrative & the challenges they will face on their way there. Then focus on those challenges & any learnings along the way we can benefit from. From there, key milestones along the way which will have an impact on their end user, their own company & their industry.

This is the most significant moment in the entire process. Customers are always looking for solutions to their problems, solutions that meet their needs, that understand them, that help them grow. And it is exactly at this moment that the promoters of your products and services help you sell more and more and more. Today, companies with high NPS - Net Promoter Score, are the most sought after companies in the market, thus setting the bar between you and your competitors.

I believe it all starts with how you open the conversation or call. Focus on connecting first. Instead of asking direct questions, share a story or mention changes in the market to show you understand their situation. You could say, "I can imagine how hectic things are—same here, my managers aren’t leaving me in peace!" This shows empathy and gets them engaged. If they seem interested and not too busy, you can share a short story about a recent challenge, then give them space to talk. If they don't bring up the feedback you need, let them finish, and before the call ends, ask if it's okay to text them later for feedback. Mention, "I’ve got a meeting with my boss and need to give him an update—hope you understand.

Empathy in sales means understanding the emotional and practical concerns of your customers. Instead of jumping straight to solutions, acknowledge their challenges, and ensure they feel heard. This approach leads to more honest and actionable feedback. Tools like Zendesk or Intercom can provide a structured way to manage customer conversations, ensuring a human touch in every interaction. Empathy helps diffuse difficult situations, making customers more likely to offer constructive criticism, which can be invaluable for improving both your sales process and product offerings.

Offering rewards like discounts, loyalty points, or early access to new features in exchange for feedback can drive engagement. Platforms like Yotpo or Qualtrics allow you to automate feedback collection and link it to incentive programs. Be transparent about how feedback will be used to improve their experience. Offering a tangible benefit encourages more thoughtful and in-depth responses, giving you more detailed insights into how to enhance your product or service offering.

During my tenure, we implemented a similar incentive structure for every testimonial and feedback received regarding our system and services. The incentive was in the form of digital currency, which clients could use toward merchandise purchases, renewals, future upgrades, or system purchases. This could also take the form of loyalty points. Such incentives helped motivate clients to invest their time and effort in providing valuable feedback and sharing their experiences with our products or services.

Ein erfolgreiches Beispiel für ein Incentive-Programm, das Kunden zu Feedback motiviert, ist die Strategie eines Online-Shops für Kleidung: Der Shop führte ein "Feedback-for-Rewards"-Programm ein. Nach jedem Einkauf erhalten die Kunden eine Einladung zur Teilnahme an einer kurzen Umfrage, in der sie ihre Erfahrungen bewerten und Vorschläge machen können. Als Anreiz erhalten sie sofort einen 10%-Rabatt auf ihren nächsten Einkauf. Zusätzlich nehmen alle Teilnehmer an einer monatlichen Verlosung teil, bei der sie die Chance haben, einen Einkaufsgutschein im Wert von 100 € zu gewinnen.