Why the title “The Invisible Customer”?
People can be oblivious to the customers who will add the most value to their business – they are invisible. We don’t see them because we don’t know what they look like. We believe it’s because most companies do not properly segment and identify their top customers.
You’ve coined the term “Customer Quality Management”. How do you define it?
CQM is built on three pillars:
- The quality of your database or prospect list. If the prospects have the potential of doing R100 000 of business with you, they will not be able to help you to reach aR200 000 target. You have to ensure the quality of your database has two to three times the potential of your target.
- The quality of your customer knowledge. This applies to both business value and personal value.
- The quality of your contacts. Do your sales people see the right people in the company or are they wasting their time on non-decision-makers?
How does it differ from customer relationship management and why do we need it?
CRM is a workflow system. It keeps client information and tracks contacts. CQM is about the measurement of the process that gets you to the point when customers want to do business with you.
CQM has a direct impact on your sales future.
What are the principles of CQM?
The book looks at how to use the 80/20 principle in the sales environment, specifically to grow your business. The second principle is that business is about relationships and we look at how to build lasting relationships with your customers.
What influenced you in writing this book?
I was the national sales manager of a large multinational company and I realised how few books there are for senior sales managers on how todevelop and implement a national strategy.
In the book, you talk about “keeping it alive” something that is a challenge in any organisation. What’s the secret to getting that right?
The focus of the company as a whole is important. It mustbe sales focused and sales driven – every decision made has to positively impact sales.
Secondly, the quality of the sales manager that the salespeople report to is critical to implementing such a strategy and making itwork.
Title: The Invisible Customer
Author: Cobus van Graan and Dr Chris Crozier
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
Price: R229
Available from: www.exclusivebooks.com
