Text Box: What Do We Mean by Actionable Data? Although our definition sounds like double-speak, Actionable Marketing Data supports the market-place action that you intend to implement. It’s best illustrated in the negative. Many small businesses have no organized list of existing prospects or customers. Companies small and large lack the information that allows 21st Century micro-marketing: the targeted messaging that is central to Client Path Marketing. This weakness can be lack of data; just as often it is lack of a convenient way to swiftly transport data for marketing action. Text Box: Data is Crucial: The Client Path Marketing concept depends on solid actionable data. See definition >. Good data requires careful planning and diligent execution, and will not happen without a serious leadership commitment to data collection, organization, and archiving. The Right Tool: There are a host of software packages, ranging from incredibly powerful, e.g. SalesForce.com and its copycats, to a host of lower cost CRM packages. The right answer is affordable, easily implemented, easily updated, and smooth-as-silk in “filtering” (allowing selection of the Client Path sub-groups you’re targeting) then exporting to the communication tool that you are employing. Manageable: Your data system must support targeted marketing, but it’s easy to get carried away, e.g. seven stages of prospects: Cold, Cool, Luke Warm, Warm, Hot, On Fire, Cool Again. A solid system has no more complexity than you will realistically manage. Some Help? Implementation of a Client Path Marketing based system is likely best accomplished with the help of an experienced veteran of the process. Implementation of your data management system is an example, improving the odds of a solid system that finds the balance between actionable data and excess complexity.

Data!