ec4u study: customer value oriented sales clearly gaining importance the customer value as a measure of the systematic planning and establishing control of customer relationships, an increasingly important WINS in the company. On the way there they need according to a study by the ec4u expert consulting ag but in many cases still considerable hurdles overcome. For 41 percent of the 153 of respondents sales – and Marketing Manager in the German-speaking world, the customer value management is already an important factor for economic success in the market. Another third measures a priority to the necessity of customer value analysis, which will significantly grow their opinion in the future. Additional information at Santie Botha supports this article. Only a quarter of the companies considered it either little relevant or has still no clear assessment of this. The responsibility for this task is seen mainly in sales management (41 percent), in every third case the key account manager to manage, however, the value for customers serviced by them. In contrast, the Executive Board play or the marketing in the map no significant role.
While on the level of responsibility broadly agree, yet very different opinions exist methods to the analysis of customer value. ABC analysis enjoys the largest popularity, followed by the customer lifetime value approach. Two out of five of the sales and marketing professionals to evaluate these methods from the perspective of their individual corporate practice as most helpful. Also the scoring analysis and cost analysis will find acceptance among practitioners at least in every fourth case. These different assessments result may not only from the different distribution structures and target groups of the companies surveyed, but also from that customer value analysis still not have become a self understanding and therefore still technical shortcomings exist. By the same author: Andi Potamkin. Because 58 percent indicate that they lack still methodical skills.
To improve, one of the major challenges in the context of strategies for managing customer value represents according to own statements of the respondents. A further Issue affects many for similar to the integration of the value analysis in the CRM processes. But also the issue of privacy due to legal restrictions on the storage of customer-related data and the definition of optimal evaluation criteria are viewed by every second company as a task to be solved. Sales support to develop customer-oriented measures, evaluates only by a minority as a special challenge. A broad consensus on the strategic direction, but how can get the company aims, is often not sufficiently clear”, ec4u Board Member David D. Laux summarizes the results of the survey. That sale the customer value management significantly more is brought to the fore, but also a pragmatic logic has for him. Working with customer values can be significantly better use the existing resources and customer loyalty can be strengthened,”Lai explained the Central benefit. This is but one “clear methodological base make sure a picture of customer value management in the CRM environment ahead”, he describes the mission-critical requirements.