As someone heavily reliant on earphones for both personal and professional use, I was frustrated when they stopped working correctly. I’d used them for about a year after my purchase. After some back-and-forth with the support team, I settled a repair order and, as a backup, decided to buy earphones from a competitor.

As I’m writing this post, I’m sitting here with my new backup earphones from a well-known manufacturer, struggling to get them to connect properly – yes, even the best products can have their shortcomings.

The design and sound quality of these new earphones are truly impressive. However, the overall experience fell short of my expectations. Connectivity issues, a more complicated setup process, and requiring a separate app to use them. It’s a hassle, to say the least.

As professionals at enterprises, you know that your customers demand more than just a product or service; they expect a seamless, intuitive, and enjoyable experience from start to finish.

Let’s be honest: If your solution doesn’t deliver on this promise, it doesn’t matter how good it is. What’s the point of having an amazing earphone if it takes me ten minutes just to get it working?

My takeaway is simple: The best product is useless without a convincing customer experience!

My World

In my world of Sales and Marketing, customer experience doesn’t just happen after someone signs on the dotted line or clicks on “Buy”. It starts the second you say “Hello!” and continues long after the contract is inked. Every touchpoint is your chance to either build trust or blow it.

The Numbers Lie?

Let’s get real for a minute. If you research customer experience, you’ll find endless statistics and different viewpoints on how CX affects customer satisfaction. Regardless of which number is correct, there’s broad agreement on what matters most.

  • Companies that excel at customer experience grow revenue faster than their competitors
  • Buyers will pay more for a great experience
  • Customers will switch to a competitor after multiple bad interactions
  • The majority of customers will leave after just one (!) bad experience

One bad experience. That’s it. Game over.

Customer Experience Is A Business-critical Differentiator

Stop hiding behind your product specs and commission calculators. Sales is about people.

When I walk into a meeting, I’m not thinking about my quota. I’m thinking about the human sitting across from me who has real problems that keep them up at night. My job is to understand those problems, challenge their assumptions, and deliver solutions that create actual win-wins.

Engage on the same eye level. Don’t talk down to your prospects like they’re desperate for whatever you’re peddling. Challenge the status quo. Ask the hard questions that make them think differently about their business. Most importantly: Provide insights for their benefit, not yours.

Stop Solving Problems That Don’t Exist

Stop assuming customers are desperate for your fancy, complicated solutions that solve problems they don’t have.

That’s like bringing a fire extinguisher to someone who mentioned they enjoy candles.

Understand your customers first. What actually keeps them awake at 3 AM? What metrics is their boss breathing down their neck about? What would make their job easier?

Make them feel understood. Not sold to. Not pitched at. Understood.

Then, and only then, deliver solutions that create real value.

Customer Success Isn’t Charity Work

Here’s where many companies get it backwards: They treat post-sale relationships like customer service instead of revenue opportunities.

Put commercial-minded people in customer success roles. These relationships aren’t charity work. They need to drive business value for both sides. Your customer success team should be thinking like salespeople because guess what? They ARE salespeople. They’re selling renewal, expansion, and advocacy every single day.

The Long Game Always Wins

Stop counting commission and think more long-term. That quick sale you pushed through by overselling features they don’t need? That customer will be gone in six months, and they’ll tell everyone why.

But that customer you spent extra time understanding, educated properly, and set up for genuine success? They become your best marketing channel.

Local customers don’t just buy more. They refer more business and stick around longer.

What Salesperson Do You Want To Be?

As someone who has had the privilege of experiencing various industries (Retail, MedTech, Automotive, Language Tech & Localization Services, Software and AI Tech), I’ve seen firsthand how a well-designed customer experience can set your business apart from the competition.

Customer experience isn’t some fluffy concept. In a world where products are commoditized and switching suppliers is easier than ever, it’s your competitive advantage.

When you make it about your customers instead about you, magic happens. When you listen more than you talk, ask better questions, and care about their success, that’s when you stop being just another salesperson and start being a value driver they can’t afford to lose.