Text Box: Why Focus on Weaknesses? A perfectly operating Client Path would be a joy to behold: Effective promotion grabs the interest of Strangers and turns them to Prospects. Effective selling and post-sale follow-up generates a steady flow of new customers. Through service and demonstrated appreciation, we gain steadily increasing loyalty and client revenue. And our loyal customers spread the word about how great we are, generating additional new clients. But, reality will fall short of that ideal. There will be “holes” in our Client Path execution. Those holes, aka weaknesses, represent high priority marketing projects that we should address. Text Box: Looking at the Big Picture, many companies lack both actionable data and micro-marketing capability. Data, if organized at all, tends to lump all customers into one category. Actionable Prospect data is rare. Marketing material tends to be one-size-fits-all, ignoring the common-sense reality that selling efforts are most successful if tailored to individual goals, interests, and relationship. Within the Client Path, these weaknesses are common: - Inefficient Stranger Advertising. Many decisions are based on habit or vendor relationship rather than hard analysis of the most efficient way to reach “our kind of prospects” while minimizing dollars spent on the disinterested or geographically irrelevant. Also common: inadequate attention grabber and unclear call to action. Lost or Mishandled Prospects: Many companies lack solid sales material and selling techniques, an obvious tragedy. A hugely common missed opportunity is that Prospects, if not sold during initial sales contact, drift away and are lost to competitors or cold feet. No Active Loyalty Building: We don’t thank new customers, ask for the satisfaction feedback that lets us quickly resolve problems, or stay in ongoing relevant, value-added contact. No Active Client Recovery Program: Unfortunately clients are lost for various reasons. In some cases they can be recovered with the right kind of communication and incentive. Many companies have no systematic method of identifying lost customers; and no program to attempt retrieval. Missed Revenue Opportunities: Existing Customers: Existing customers are likely the best statistical source of new business, yet many companies have no organized effort to conduct genuine preferred customer activity. Many tout preferred customer events; few actually single out preferred customers for special treatment and values.

TypicalWeaknesses