What is done the right way by many people is to treat each product line, every service, every activity, every production unit as if they were independent companies, making clear their real profits and even unwanted losses.
And the customer portfolio: does it give to an individual diagnosis? I go further: what about group them in order to track and manage its results and to the volume of money invested in customer visits, promotions, marketing, etc.?
The answer to the first question above is YES, CAN and some may even be thinking "but that's exactly what I do ...".
I refer, however, to a highly organized and intelligent way of exercising this task !!!
Pareto can serve as a reference, a North to start. Remember the rule of 80/20? For example, for billing, 80% of which is obtained may be generated by the clients 20%? Take a moment and think about your activity: it applies to your business such a rule? Then think about how you are differentiating service to its current client base, the services, attention to, etc. Or is he treating everyone in the same level? No, I do not speak of discrimination, speak of intelligent management of the client portfolio, the energy invested by REAL BILLED.
Recently, I met a large company with more than 3800 registered customers.
5% (190 clients) accounted for 42% of its sales and the other 95%, accounted for 58% of sales. Dangerous concentration, right? The worst of the story is this: there was no targeting plan, ie the energy used to meet a customer's end ranking and bill some real thrust was about the same for sales leaders. I call it commercial myopia?
Imagine also the risk, the number of opportunities that could be implemented by this company !!!
Let's call these 5% PREMIUM clients (PR). For ALL customers with this classification, we have an obligation to:
- Understand the "business" of the client in detail. Know your products, your line and production processes and sales;
- Meet raw materials and to have "at the ready" marketing strategy and trade thereof and, why not, its strategic planning;
- Have an open channel for product development that go beyond the simple fact meet the PRs: they must be amazed constantly with his zeal for the business relationship;
- Muni them with innovations and put them ahead of the market as partners in their development;
- Understand their logistical needs and to make the inventory management of PRs;
- If not the final consumer, to do with him, understanding the functioning of the commercial chain, developing solutions for application at the end.
Imagine yourself performing such targeting and looking her up. How about making segmentation as follows: PREMIUM (PR) and clients A, B and C, where the PRs would be "treated in his lap," effectively watched over by an effective consistent business relationship and outnumbered the As, Bs and Cs. The As, in turn, would be prepared for PRs, and so on. Believe me, some Cs are those that give headache and rework costs, trade and logistics costs and as many invisible damage.
Think about it!! Organize your customer base and reap best results from your activity and your company !!! Success!!!!
