Last week I attended the Connectwise Advisory Council Meeting, with a group of 10 other technology solution providers including my buddy Tim Brewer from Anittel that participated via Skype from Australia. (That really impressed me since it’s 12 hours ahead over there so he had to stay up all night). I walked away with several key “take aways” that I wanted to share:
Listen to Your Customers – this is a lot easier said than done. Sometimes we have a tendency to think we know what’s best for our clients but who are we to say that. The advisory council meeting allowed Connectwise to hear directly from several of its customers to hear what’s going on. Done properly, customers will tell you everything you need to know.
Be Humble & LISTEN – Again, a lot easier said than done, especially when people are brutally honest. But you can’t take anything personal when listening to customers.
We are not alone – All companies, especially in this economy, are focused on finding ways to differentiate themselves from the competition and grow their business. Connectwise is a very successful PSA, some might say the most successful, and for that full day they were focused on how they can be better and how they can help their clients more.
It’s all about communication – Whether it’s good news or bad news, communication is critical to a successful relationship with a business partner (or any partner for that matter). But communicating can be very challenging during the times where you think you know what you’re saying however you don’t realize how your customer is hearing it.
I want to end this by sending a big shout out to the Connectwise Team and thank them for hosting us for a few days. I thought it was a productive day and it further showed why I’m very happy to be a Connectwise partner.
