So often, as sales reps, we neglect to realize that the customer journey starts with the prospect experience. Sean McDade, PhD, is the founder and CEO of PeopleMetrics; a software and services company that helps organizations measure and create a better customer experience by listening to their customers and prospects.  Sean is also the author of “Listen or Die: 40 Lessons that turn Customer Feedback into Gold,” a book about how to listen to your customers, clients and prospects in order to create a better experience for them. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Any time that a company interacts with a customer or prospect, they are providing a customer experience. It could be a digital experience on a website, an in-person experience through a meeting with a sales rep, or customer experiences via contact centers or online chats. A great company is one that consciously manages those interactions to create positive experiences for their customers. As a sales rep, the experience you give to your prospects is very important. The prospect’s interaction with a sales rep sets the tone for the experience he can expect as a customer. This is especially true if you are selling B2B products, software, professional services, or any high-end consumer products that a prospect is likely to spend significant dollars on to purchase. A sales rep can increase the value in the sales process by answering questions in detail, by solving problems, and by reducing pain for the prospect. The metric used to measure customer experience is substantially higher for sales reps who add value over those who do not. When a prospect feels that he was lied to, or misled, at the beginning, it is difficult to recover. The great sales reps are the ones who set the tone for a great customer or client experience over the long-term. As for the sales reps who are not setting a positive tone – Sean believes they are creating the very real possibility that the client will churn in the future instead. MARKETING VS SALES Marketing sets the brand promise. They set the expectations but it is up to the sales reps to bring it to life. The prospects will remember their conversations with sales reps long after they’ve forgotten the marketing campaign. The sales rep has more credibility and is more effective, as a result, in setting a positive – or negative – tone with the prospect. POSITIVE PROSPECT EXPERIENCE PeopleMetrics measures various attributes by sending a survey to each prospect to determine the experiences that the reps create. In this way, Sean has found the prospects always feel that value has been added to their experience whenever a sales rep is able to provide these five things: Be prepared. A great sales rep is one who is super-prepared. They know the prospect inside and out; the reps don’t ask questions that are easily found online, for example. Be comfortable answering questions. A great sales rep understands their prospect’s situation and can suggest solutions. Be a good listener. A great sales rep listens more than he talks and will really understand the needs of the prospect as a result. Be knowledgeable about your product. Be able to answer questions beyond what is already available online. Be proactive. Be timely and follow-up.   When you add value to the experience, the prospect will not only be a client that buys more, he will be a client that provides referrals. #Referrals CLICK TO TWEET   Referrals are key, especially in the B2B market.  At that level, buyers actually seek out referrals from other buyers before making big decisions. THE CONSULTATIVE SALE REP As sales reps, we sometimes feel as though we are simply taking orders when, in truth, we should aim to be more of a consultant for the buyer. The company we work for should be one that values the consultative element: providing training, experience, and hands-on opportunities for the sales reps to really learn the product well. As an example, Sean has a great rep at his company who is generally tasked with