Taking a moment to move away from the Exhaustive Mind content to share an old blog post I made in 2017 for our internal resource at 10up. As our company makes some shifts, the principles shared in this post have once again become relevant to share with our team, so it seemed reasonable to also post this content here for posterity!

Back in 2017, I was given the opportunity through use of the 10up personal reinvestment benefit to attend the Pulse conference organized by Gainsight. This conference is focused on the Customer Success industry and had a glutton of sessions focused on how the SaaS world operates with a focus on the success of their customers. The primary reason I wanted to attend this conference was to gather some tools and ideas on how to practically apply these approaches to the way 10up supports our partners. While there is not a direct one-to-one when it comes to the SaaS industry, the key principles around 10up being successful, when our partners are successful hold true.

While there were a number of take-a-ways that apply to our world over here on the accounts team, there were a handful that I feel like apply to 10up’s model across the board. I’m hoping this helps bring some tips toward application of something we hear (and say) a lot. Being Consultative.

In an agency interaction there are basically 2-types of relationship. I’ll call number one the Plumber. The Plumber gets called when something clogs the pipes or things aren’t running smoothly. The Plumber brings his/her tools to the site and starts to diagnose and repair the problem at hand. When the pipes are clear and everything is flowing well, the Plumber sends an invoice and goes off to the next job to help the next customer.

The second type I’m going to borrow from a session at this conference. This is the Wingman. The Wingman is right there with the customer when the pipes get clogged. He/she might even have a sense as to what went into the pipes to cause the poor performance, and since he/she is invested in the success of the customer, he/she likely has an idea of not only how to fix the pipes, but also may have a solution that actually improves the outcome beyond simply fixing the problem at hand.

So…I think we can all see how we want to be more of a Goose, than a Mario (or Luigi if you prefer).

In that over-simplified illustration of two approaches, I don’t really help you to become the Wingman. The truth is that becoming a Wingman to your customers is more about your mindset in approaching the relationship than it is in having any set process to empower you. With that said, I do have 5 tips to help you squeeze the most out of every interaction and begin to uncover the motivations behind a customer’s ask so that you can openly talk toward a solution and become a trusted advisor.

1. UNDERSTAND the problem the client is trying to solve. Don’t just hear it at surface level, be willing to dig deeper to wrap your head around more than just the bug. Is there something more driving this? A goal otherwise not yet exposed? Everyone should feel empowered to ask the questions you need to understand not only the surface-level issue at hand, but the broader business motivations that could impact the decision you make toward the recommended solution.
2. Make APPROPRIATE recommendations. Once you understand all the motivators in the client request, you also need to make sure you are considering the client’s landscape when preparing a recommendation. If the client doesn’t have $100,000 and 12 weeks to resolve the problem, they don’t want us to make that type of recommendation. They are looking at us to recommend something that will provide a solution within their budget and timeline. If their expectation is unrealistic, educate them. And then offer a solution that accomplishes the core goals, while recommending the least painful opportunities for sacrifice.
3. Try to solve the BIGGEST problem, not the easiest. I hear it a lot on client calls… “that is the lowest hanging fruit”. I am as guilty as anyone, when it comes to making recommendations, by looking at what we can do the fastest and least expensive to make movement for a client. If we want to make the most impact for a client, we have to be willing to recommend larger lifts with the support of it solving the biggest problem for the client. Think about ways that tackling this larger problem could open up new opportunities to also correct the smaller ones.
4. Focus on the SOLUTION, not the feature. As we talk about our recommendations, it is easy to tout the bullet points of a new feature. Shift your approach toward talking about what solutions this feature will provide for this client. Personalize it to their issues, making it their solution.
5. Understand there are times where best practices may NOT apply to a specific client situation. I’m not saying go cowboy and throw things out the window, but if something arises and the best practices become a hinderance, talk to engineering leadership, expand your knowledge base and explore the best possible solution for the specific client. Be willing to think outside of what is traditionally done, because it simply may not work for every situation.

There are really two tools to master that will help you accomplish the 5 steps above. Number one we have to ask a LOT of open-ended questions. Things as broad as asking what the client hopes to accomplish, or why is this important, or how are they accomplishing the task today. These questions will help open the door and enable you to gain the insights necessary to more deeply understand the situation. The second one is to build skills in active listening and storytelling. Active listening requires that we fully concentrate (close Slack), understand, respond, and remember what is being discussed. Repeat back what you are comprehending to ensure you are aligned with the intent of the client. And utilize storytelling in your recommendations to personalize the solution. This will enable the client to not just understand the feature, but understand the impact it will have on them. Remember focus on the solution, not the feature.

The deeper you understand your client’s business, the more valuable you are to them. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to provide unexpected value.