Your clients and prospects are looking for new solutions that deliver the features they need today with the innovation they will need tomorrow. It’s not enough to rely on the features you deliver today; your clients want to know what they can expect from you in the future. However, your team needs the flexibility to make changes and add features to the product as demands change. You can balance both needs and leverage your product roadmap to keep clients engaged, however, and here’s how.
This CPSA article looks at the why and how of keeping clients up-to-date with the latest developments (the roadmap) to your software solution.
Use Your Roadmap to Close More Sales
Most organizations do not invest in software for the short term because switching costs are high. Your retention and sales numbers therefore likely rely on proving to your clients that your product meets their needs now and into the future. You can tell your clients that new functionality is coming, but they will be skeptical – they are often told things that fail to materialize. Create a shorter-term roadmap that showcases features and timelines that are unlikely to change. Showing your clients your product roadmap will make your promises concrete and give your clients timelines on when they can expect specific features. Clients will have more confidence in your product, which will help you close more sales.
Compete with Competitors
It’s very unlikely that your software product is the only one in its space in the market, which means it’s very unlikely yours is the only one your clients and prospects are considering. One-up your competitors by showing your clients the innovative and valuable new features you have in the pipeline. This will enable you to overcome objections about functionality your competitors offer that you do not, and it will get your prospects excited about the new things they will be able to do with your product in the future.
Build Trust and Loyalty
Showing clients your product roadmap makes them feel like you are giving them access to exclusive information, and this is a sign that you value them. It helps to build your relationship and the foundation of trust that it is built upon. You clients will become more loyal to you because you took the time and effort to show them your software’s future-state, and more loyal to your product because they understand how and when they can gain access to innovative new functionality.
Use Feedback in Your Roadmap
Chances are, your clients will have feedback about your roadmap. Whether it’s the timelines, the urgency of specific features, or the features themselves, you should expect to hear some comments. However, this feedback is not a negative – rather, it is a sign that your clients are engaged and excited about what is to come. You should take note of all of the feedback you get from clients and pass it to your product team to be incorporated into the roadmap. Your product team will appreciate the additional information, and your clients will see that you are truly a customer-focused organization.
Revealing your roadmap your clients solidifies the relationship and gives you constructive feedback at a time when you can easily leverage it. Prove to your product team that it is valuable to show the roadmap to clients, and close more sales as a result.
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