Developing Strategic Customers and Key Accounts
Author: John Hurcomb
Forget the myths about customer relationship management. This is what really happens. Based on research among 194 companies with a combined turnover of $70bn, this report shows what separates the most from the least successful when developing strategic customers and key accounts. The report provides statistical data on 108 key management activities and issues that enable you to identify priorities and benchmark your own company’s performance. Contains six full-length case studies. Essential for managers who realise it’s the people factors which make CRM projects work.
Contents
Executive summary
Part 1
1 Developing strategic customers: in perspective
Introduction: background to the project
The research and its methodology
Just what is a strategic customer?
The objectives of this report
Headlines from the research
Sorting out the most from the least effective
Comparing the best with the worst
2 Roles and responsibilities: who’s in the team?
The value of personal relationships
Chairmen and managing directors/CEOs
Marketing and sales directors/managers
Other roles
Key findings in summary
3 How and why suppliers select strategic customers
Customer focus and orientation
Calculate your own customer orientation factor
Selecting and developing strategic customers
Why develop strategic customers?
Whatever happened to successful partnering?
How are you doing with those you know?
Which customers have greatest strategic potential?
Critical success factors in strategic customer selection
Key findings in summary
4 Securing and growing strategic customer business
Adopting a customer-oriented state of mind
Focusing sales people on tomorrow
Building strategic customer business
Developing the relationship
Focusing on the customer: looking in
Focusing on the customer: looking out
Differentiating your service
Adding value to customer relationships
Negotiating terms of business
Key findings in summary
5 Key activities in locking out the competition
Arming for the competitive war
Keeping the customer in
Locking the competition out
Differentiating your service
Working together with strategic customers
Negotiating terms of business
Protecting your relationship
Key findings in summary
6 Realising the benefits of strategic customer relationships
Achieving business objectives
Enhancing your company’s position
Increasing market share and coverage
Improving growth and profitability
Reducing costs
Key findings in summary
7 Harnessing new technologies
The role of tomorrow’s technologies
Contrasting views of six technologies
Key findings in summary
8 Strategic customers: key issues for the future
A look at the future
Growth in partnering
Partnering: a view from the front-line
Spread of electronic commerce
Spread and complexity of strategic alliances
Introduction of European Monetary Union
Internationalisation of trade
Reduction in suppliers to major competitors
Global/regional purchasing
Dynamics of global economic power
Key findings in summary
9 A new model for strategic customer development
Strategic customer development model
Strategic customer development process
Example model and process applications
A best practice model
Part 2
Case studies
Brierley-Almond/ASDA
British Aerospace
IBM
Simon Jersey
Volvo Car UK
Willmott Dixon
Appendices
Research survey statistical summary
Further reading
Presentations and courses on the findings of the report are also available.
Developing Strategic Customers & Key Accounts (239 pages ; IBSN [978] 1 872980 36 8) is available price £85 plus p&p
Weight: 830g
For further information and to purchase contact Colin Coulson-Thomas