Provide solutions, not just products
If Belkin were going to grow and survive, its ability to provide customer solutions would be key.
Belkin’s customer base is largely made up of what Pipkin calls VARs, or value-added resellers. The companies Belkin serves, in turn, serve the IT departments of other corporations. In the 1980s, Belkin’s customers were outfitting corporate offices with computers, some for the very first time.
By observing their customers, Pipkin says Belkin’s leaders noticed a trend: They would sell an individual component, such as a printer, but wouldn’t sell the cable that could hook the printer to the computer. Instead, they’d refer the customer to a competitor for the additional items.
Pipkin realized it was an opportunity to coach Belkin’s customers on how to sell computer components together as a unit — a given in today’s world, but a novel idea back then.
That revelation led Belkin’s leaders to form a systematic approach to serving customers. The company’s representatives make it a point to visit their customers, spend time with them, and educate them on selling not only the individual computer components but an entire range of products as a system.
The goal is to maintain a straightforward, streamlined approach that focuses on the end result, he says.
“We just use a very fact-based approach with this,” Pipkin says. “It’s a very common theme for us.”
To begin, Belkin outlines where a company is in terms of variables such as profit margin and customer satisfaction. They then form a plan to help the company reach its goals. The customer’s reaction once the job is done is the verdict, he says.
“They might be skeptical, but when you get it done, they are very appreciative, thankful, a little bit amazed,” Pipkin says. “Your credibility with them scales a lot, and they want to do more stuff with you.”
In a constantly-evolving business, the products that perform the best are those that have the best support, Pipkin says, and the companies that provide the best support are those most likely to retain customers.