The Internal Customer

Treat your internal customers just like you treat your external ones, treat others like you want to be treated and think of the entire organization as one team. A friend and sales leader called me recently to talk about internal customers. This based on his own experience after joining a new company. That lack of attention and respect towards internal customers was leading to poor customer service, missed deliveries and an overall inability to achieve the desired double digit sales growth. Only after addressing those internal issues did the company regain reputation and growth. Externally, everyone within an organization works with internal customers. Those could be bosses, direct reports, and most importantly colleagues from other business units or departments. These are stakeholders who work within your company and require assistance from you or a colleague to get their job done. Beyond the feel good psychology, using the term internal customers has some tangible benefits. Treating everyone as a customer encourages employees to take each other just as seriously as they would take a referral or complaint from an external customer. If you're in sales, you have plenty of internal customers and in turn are one yourself. Besides, you are in a unique position to also deal with external customers and often being the company's face to those clients. I have seen my share of bad influence internal customer relationships both from sales and from other departments. But what triggers people to provide bad service to internal clients? It is a self centered rationalization. It's what happens when people devise self satisfying but incorrect reasons for bad behavior. The service technician who feels it is the sales rep's job to tell a customer to wait their turn or the sales rep that feels that everyone should stop everything they are doing when their client has an issue. Here are a couple of best practices on how to work with your internal customers when you are in sales. Build relationships. It is natural to help a friend, but be genuine about building those relationships. Help take care of those who are taking care of you. Provide background and context. Share so that the importance or urgency of a matter is clear, not just because you say so. Communicate even beyond an acute need. Share what you see in the world. Talk. Don't just email. Have a live conversation. Very important. Do not belittle. This is an interdependent partnership, a relationship of equals, not sales handing down the scraps and recognize a job well done internally deserves the same thank you provided to the external world. Celebrate wins with all who contributed. And finally, language matters. Be as respectful and friendly in your choice of words as you are external. In my experience, all of these are very worthwhile. Treat your internal customers like you treat your external ones. Treat others like you want to be treated and think of the entire organization as one team. Let us know if you want to find out how an interim or fractional sales leader can help.