How do you define your customers? Who does it? How do you know you've got an accurate picture?
This is another thing that should be bringing Marketing and Sales departments closer together. Peter Davidson talks about Reading Customers and brings up a great point.
He asks: "Does your sales staff complain that marketing isn't sending them high quality leads? Maybe they need to know what good customers look like so they can better qualify the leads they are generating."
Who better to know the good customers than your sales team? I wonder how often they get asked for input on lead generation? Peter goes on to talk about your CRM system defining good customers, which can probably be done, but I'm thinking that there are a lot of things about customers that your CRM system may not know. So, what if you created an online survey on your sales portal and asked the sales reps to give Marketing information about their top three customers and what they think makes them great?
I think what criteria you use to determine your best customers is most important. Is it the industry they're in? The amount of money they spend is certainly a factor, but have you ever considered how much your company spends to get those sales? Is it about how often they buy? How many different products and service they buy? How easy they are to work with? How much customization they need? Determining your best customers is quite a bit more intensive than looking at sales in a vacuum.
I suggest two surveys. First, put out a survey to determine which criteria to use. This should be quick for the sales reps to take. Or they won't do it. Regardless of how much it has the potential to help them.
Then, post a concise questionaire asking them to answer about the five top criteria from that first survey about their 3 best customers.
Once you've got this, Marketing should be able to personalize communications in a way that helps draw more like the best ones you have. The leads should be better and your company will be building a relationship with them by giving them answers to challenging questions they don't have time to deal with on their own.
How do you determine who your best customers are?
