Welcome to this week's edition of One Step Ahead!
We've got so much to do: continuously strengthen client relationships, reduce churn, and drive revenue growth. But in today's dynamic landscape, it can feel like you need superpowers just to keep up.
That's why I curate this weekly newsletter - to provide the tips, insights, and resources to help you stay one step ahead.
In this issue, we'll explore:
Key stats and trends in customer retention across industries
The debate around shorts in the office.
A look at the latest State of AI in Sales survey findings
Upcoming workshop on how to manage a mega-portfolio of accounts
An in-depth look at balancing short term and long term goals for customers
My goal is to deliver quick, practical value to support your continued success. Whether it's boosting retention, honing skills, or leveraging AI, I hope these bite-sized articles provide useful food for thought.
Let's dive in!
🔍 DEEP DIVE: BALANCING SHORT-TERM FIREFIGHTING WITH LONG-TERM STRATEGY
Too many of us find ourselves in reactive mode—busy resolving immediate client concerns while strategic long-term goals gather dust.
🔥 The Challenge: You spend a lot of your day putting out client fires—whether it's a product bug, a delivery hiccup, or a billing misunderstanding. In doing so, you find yourself with little time to focus on the strategic plans that aim for broader growth, value-based partnerships, or potential upsells.
But here's the catch: operate like this for too long, and clients might just decide they want more vision in their partnerships and find it somewhere else.
🎯 Short-Term vs. Long-Term:
Short-Term Goals: These are your quick wins—achievements that can be reached in less than a year. They're about fixing bottlenecks, increasing revenue, and boosting customer satisfaction. While crucial, remember, they're just a part of the bigger picture.
Long-Term Goals: Think of these as your guiding star. They're the strategic objectives that set the direction for your partnership over years, not months. From becoming a primary vendor to helping your client expand into new markets, these objectives are about vision and significant growth.
🤹 The Balancing Act: It's all about harmonizing today's urgencies with tomorrow's aspirations. Focusing too much on either side might cause dissatisfaction, credibility loss, or risk account churn. But when balanced, it showcases a partnership dedicated to both immediate value and long-term success.
🚀 Mastering the Balance: A few strategies to nail this balance include:
Cascading goals from long-term strategies to short-term objectives.
Constantly communicating and collaborating.
Setting SMART goals.
Blending quick wins with major aspirations.
Staying agile and responsive.
Ready to dive deeper? Discover the full insights and best practices in this guide to elevate your client goal setting strategy, ensuring you're not just reacting but strategically thriving.
📰 HEADLINES
🔍 Customer Retention Insights: A 2018 survey revealed major differences in retention rates across industries. Media and professional services boasted 84% retention, showing the power of expertise and creative content. Hospitality and restaurants lagged at just 55%, indicating the need for improved customer experience in transactional fields.
Though not new data, these benchmarks demonstrate the value of tailoring retention strategies to match industry norms. How does your retention compare? What can you learn from the high performers in your niche?
🩳 The Great Shorts Debate: Gone are the days when I was mocked for wearing shorts as a bank teller back in the late '80s. But even now, the debate rages on about whether shorts are appropriate office attire for men.
With extreme heat becoming more common, I say it's time we rethink rigid formalwear traditions. Worker comfort improves productivity after all! Phoenix just endured 30+ days above 100°F/37°C. In that kind of heat, slacks seem like torture.
While views are still mixed, norms evolve. 58% say shorts are A-OK these days. Forward-thinking companies focus on inclusion and practicality, not outdated ideas of what's professional. What do you think?
🤖 2023 State of AI in Sales Survey. With over 500 U.S. sales executives weighing in, a staggering 95% are harnessing the power of AI in sales. However, beneath these advanced tactics lies an unsettling trend: two-thirds aren't confident in meeting sales targets, and sales team burnout is on the rise with an alarming 86% reporting increased burnout or turnover. Culprits? The overwhelming non-selling tasks and the myriad tools salespeople juggle. The silver lining? Many see AI as a lifeline. A majority highlight AI's ability to prioritize activities (52%) and enhance team efficiency (49%) as its paramount benefits. Dive deeper into this survey for the 5 key takeaways that shed light on AI's transformative role in sales.
👀 WORTH A LOOK
⚒️ 25 Facilitation Frameworks & Toolkits: Let's be honest - wrangling diverse stakeholders into alignment can be like herding cats! Quality facilitation is a superpower for transforming painful meetings into productive collaborations. It guides groups towards desired outcomes. Want to level up? Check out these handy facilitation frameworks and toolkits. They'll give you the tools to engage clients and deliver more value. Your clients will thank you!
📧 6 Best Cold Email Templates. We all know how tough it can be to craft the perfect cold outreach email. But Gong has come to our rescue with their list of the 6 most effective templates that actually get responses. These persuasive emails were so on-point they went viral on social media and booked meetings with hard-to-reach prospects. I found them super helpful as I work to take my outbound game to the next level.
📅 WORKSHOP: HELP, I HAVE TOO MANY ACCOUNTS. HOW TO MANAGE A LARGE CLIENT PORTFOLIO
Workshop: Ever felt like juggling 100+ clients is an endless marathon? That no matter how hard you sprint, you're always a step behind? I've been there too. My next workshop, on August 26th will provide frameworks and techniques to master a substantial book of business.
🎟️ Exclusive Offer for One Step Ahead Readers:
🔖 Special Discount: Use the code AMTIPS to unlock your ticket at a whopping 50% discount. That’s just £2.50/$3.00 for an invaluable learning experience!
🌟 ONE FORWARD STEP
After reading this week's newsletter, what's one specific thing you will do to continue progressing in your client management role?
Consider how you can apply the insights on goal setting, retention stats, facilitation skills, or AI adoption. Identify one forward step, big or small, to build on what you learned.
For example, you could:
Have a strategic discussion about short and long term client goals
Analyze your retention metrics compared to industry benchmarks
Look into a facilitation skills course or workshop
Research AI tools to help prioritize sales tasks
The key is to pick one actionable step that sets you up for success. Momentum builds when we consistently turn insights into progress.
Write down the one thing you'll do in the next week and make it happen! Share your goals by leaving a comment and we can keep each other accountable.
🌈 THAT'S A WRAP
And we've reached the end of another issue of One Step Ahead. I hope you found value in the articles on goal setting, retention, facilitation skills, and AI adoption.
Remember to take that one forward step - progress compounds when built consistently!
On my end, I'll be busy filming YouTube videos this weekend to continue spreading helpful insights. And I just caught the new Mission Impossible movie. As an action fan I enjoyed it, but have to give it only 3/5 stars due to the weak plot. Still, a fun way to unwind!
Wishing you an amazing week ahead.
Until next time,
Warwick
The KAM Coach