Customer understanding is essential to building successful B2B partnerships that transcend price-based transactions. Salespeople and Key Account Managers (KAMs) must learn how to recognise the subtle cues that define how a customers culture influences the things they value and their decision making processes.
Imagine the sales professional in the role of a Sherlockian detective - someone who carefully observes and interprets every small detail. This approach helps to understand a customers inner workings, allowing for deeper understanding into what motivates their people and decisions.
Every organisation has a distinct culture that shapes its actions and decisions. Culture is so powerful that it spawned the phrase (often misattributed to Peter Drucker): “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. No matter who coined the phrase, company culture is so powerful that not only can it supercharge or derail strategy, it can also empower or impede the sales process.
By deducing the impact of cultural clues, sales professionals can anticipate needs, navigate hierarchies and build rapport that deepens client relationships. To do so, salespeople and KAMs need to adopt a detective mindset of carefully observing clues that reveal the values, dynamics, and priorities of an organisation.
When KAMs overlook these subtle signs, they risk misunderstandings and missed opportunities. For example, an informal approach may alienate a hierarchical client, while a rigid approach could feel out of place in a collaborative environment. Contextual understanding allows sales professionals to adapt to the customer culture, ensuring engagement that feels authentic and empowering negotiation strategies.
The Culture Web is an invaluable tool for uncovering the deeper layers of a company’s culture. This framework, covering stories, rituals and routines, symbols, stories, organisation structures, power structures, and control systems provides insights into an organisation’s values and practices.