Our team at InnerView was hired recently by a regional fiber broadband company to do one “simple” thing: get their salespeople firing on all cylinders.
The provider had the product. They were rapidly adding more homes passed, so sales opportunities were increasing. But, they needed their team to show customers why they were better than the competition.
When we began working with them, we learned that their environment was unique. They were taking on big players in the market but had a distinctly small company feel to their operation. Our goal was to help instill some of the habits and processes that would make their sales conversations consistent. To make their performance predictable, and scalable as they added more team members.
Below are five things we learned from working with this team. These are some lessons that other regional providers could apply to their businesses to elevate the way you serve customers and drive sales growth:
- Everyone needs to see themselves as a “salesperson” – A lot of regional providers have a “universal agent” strategy where call center agents handle calls of all types, including sales, billing and retention. Instilling a sales mindset in these agents gives them the confidence to uncover needs and positions services on most calls.
- A common sales language is key – Establishing company-wide phrases and concepts helps teams communicate better and gives the sellers an identity. Even though each sales channel has a slightly tweaked sales process, the core concepts are the same and everyone can rally around the common goal of delivering great experiences.
- Sales leaders are the key to developing skills – Frontline sales managers or call center team leaders are asked to wear a lot of hats. They are part HR person, part operations managers, part complaint handler. Being a “coach” falls down the list of priorities as other things seem more urgent. However, this is where frontline sales leaders can have the biggest impact on the business. Prioritizing coaching time will energize both the leader and their team.
- Be clear on why “local” helps customers – Being embedded in local communities is a key message for many regional broadband providers. However, salespeople aren’t always clear on why that matters to customers or how to convey the value. Building some simple phrasing into the sales process can help make this a clear advantage for regional players.
- Expectations are low, so overdeliver – A great customer experience is the best chance to differentiate. Very few customers know the difference between a gig and 5 gigs. Low-price promotions will come and go. A consistent experience with company representatives will stand out, and that alone can be the difference between winning a customer or losing them to a competitor.
Regional broadband providers offer customers a great alternative. They are investing heavily in communities to deliver future-proofed internet services at a great value.
But the experience needs to match the promise, and that starts with frontline employees. Preparing them to deliver “big,” while thinking and acting “local” takes a thoughtful approach. It pays off when the company can move faster, and the install schedule starts to fill up.
