A business to business client wanted to improve their acquisition process, a journey that took on average six months. We thought about dipping in and out but worried we would not get an accurate picture. In the end we followed 36 customers and some sales staff day by day, week by week, face to face and online for as long as it took, understanding businesses, listening to daily frustrations, setbacks and successes and sitting next to customers as they talked us through the trail of email on their computers. The result was a deep understanding of how to streamline the process and the emotional hotspots to reference in communications. After all the highs, lows (and in one case customer tears…) we still get Christmas cards from respondents.
