By Joe Aberger
As soon as an acquisition is announced, customers start asking questions their account managers may not be ready to answer. Will my pricing change? What happens to my contract? Who do I call now? The Customer Communications Guide gives every customer-facing employee examples of answers to these types of questions plus key talking points.
For this deal, six core messages anchor every customer conversation. The acquisition is done. The combination creates a larger product portfolio, stronger supply capacity, and deeper technical expertise, all of which benefit customers over time. Nothing changes today: existing contracts, brands, pricing, and sales contacts remain in place. Running tenders continue without interruption. A salesperson will reach out personally to discuss each customer's specific situation. And a 90-day portfolio review is already underway to identify where the combined organization can create the most value for each account.
The FAQ section takes on the full range of scenarios that customer-facing employees actually face:
- Separate contracts with both companies? Both remain valid until expiration.
- Contract up for renewal? Route it to the Sales Committee for review and potential harmonization.
- Two legacy distributors competing in the same territory? Distribution channels hold unchanged for now.
- Competing tenders where both companies supported different sides of the same project? Customers choose based on product fit.
- Cross-selling requests? Evaluated by the Sales Committee on a case-by-case basis with the goal of maximizing customer value.
- Warranties on combined products? Covered in full by the new entity.
The guide arms salespeople with answers. Plus, it gives them a framework for handling the situations not typically anticipated.