Customers Visiting Headquarters, Part 1

The corporate visit is a part of sales that is typically only seen in larger enterprise sales. Customers or potential customers drop in on your company to receive an update on company’s direction and for assurance that you are the right technology partner for their needs, now and in the future. Customers that take the time to visit you are very serious about the relationship they have with you as a vendor.

At an enterprise software company I worked at, an outside consultant was brought in to look at our sales process and why customers bought from us. The consultant found out that over 70% of the corporate visitors who visited us bought a substantial amount of product and service over the 18 months following their visit. Typically a large enough purchase was made that the customer visit program was deemed a very successful part of the sales process. Customer visits are not always appropriate, and have to be a well thought out part of the sales and marketing process. However, the expense and effort that it takes to put together a successful program can be well worth it in building close relationships with key customers.