Dear Customer Reference Manager,
Welcome to the world of customer referencing! You have chosen to join a profession that it not only challenging but very exciting as well! As you start your journey, I wanted to share a some tips to help you get up to speed quickly and confidently!
First of all, you don't have to go on your journey alone! There are hundreds of other customer reference managers who have been doing this for years and are willing the help you with questions you have. We have an amazing reference manager community with reference managers in all geographies, industries, company sizes and experience. Join the various groups on LinkedIn and get to know other reference managers! You will definitely want to consider attending a Customer Reference Forum . Here you can mingle with a few hundred other reference managers and learn best practices that can help you build a best-in-class customer reference program! These conferences are usually only two days which is perfect for our busy schedules.
Second, there are many resources that can help you understand what customer reference programs are, what your responsibilities with include, customer reference program best practices etc. These include the many vendors that provide customer reference program service. Second, there are some fantastic vendors out there who can help you. Here are some of the ones I am familiar with: Big Sky Communications, Boulder Logic, inEvidence, Mainstay Partners, metia, Point of Reference, Projectline and TechValidate. You can also find all sorts of documents that are out on the Internet including sample plans, timelines, templates etc. One new site that posts resources for reference programs is Customer Reference Program org.
Third, know that if you have a positive attitude and a willingness to make a difference you will be successful at this job! Of course it helps if you have sales and marketing background, strong communication skills, strong customer service orientation, ability to work well under pressure, great knowledge of PC tools, strong project and program management skills but honestly some of those skills can be learned. What you can't teach someone is to have a positive attitude and a passion to make a difference!
Fourth, start reaching out to others in your company and at your customers. Relationship building is a key part of successful referencing. Get to know key people at your company including sales, consulting, support, inside sales, public relations, analyst relations etc. Go to your customer conferences and user groups so you can meet customers and start building relationships with them!
Good referencing!
The Customer Reference Program Guru
