Customer Traditions – Are You on Top of Them?

Traditions are nice – I love them, and most people around me love them too. Halloween has just lit up my neighborhood with pumpkins, scary skeletons and a thousand kids at my doorstep – great fun! Soon it will be Thanksgiving and before we know it, Christmas is coming!  

We are all more or less prepared for these traditions, we know when to expect them, and we plan accordingly.

But how about the traditions at our customers? Have you been surprised? I know I have! And this surprise is not a happy one. Customer traditions affect our sales opportunities and timing is essential – both regarding business traditions and local traditions in the countries your customers live in.

How often have you received an invitation for an event in USA in week 42? It´s a popular event week in the US, but for Danes it is autumn vacation and not time for business traveling. I have done it anyway, but I would have preferred the week before or after.

Kick off meetings and budgeting are often an autumn activity. To be included in the year to come you need to be an early bird, and know which month the budget is closing. If you miss closing date, life as sales manager gets a bit more complicated – either you wait until next year, or you find a way outside the budget, meaning detailed ROI calculation, longer negotiations and probably longer credit.  

How about contract renewals? When do your customers pre-shop? And when are they closing the new deals? If you are too late, it means out of the game for several years…

Timing is everything! Are you on top of your prime customers’ big events? And their busiest times of the year? Maybe you should attend in their events? Or wish them a great season sale? Most importantly you should avoid planning your own big events and marketing campaigns in the middle of rush hour :)

It’s a lot to keep track of – 

especially if you work globally

Therefore, I use a customer calendar, where I put in all relevant information. I use it for event and marketing planning, but also to be on top of what is important to my customers – and when.

How about you – how do you keep track of the important traditions in your customers life? Let me know in the comments below...