"Clienting" and the design of strategies

of Clients
Clienting is a methodology to do more
efficient economic resources that companies
they use in the loyalty of their customers.

Clienting is the intellectual framework of strategies for

clients who intend to improve revenue, the margin
and customer service creating a virtuous circle
of organic growth.
 Clienting and the design of Strategies
Clients
• Managing the customer base in a smarter way is for
many companies the best growth option.
• Many companies have the opportunity to make their
clients remain as such for longer; to achieve that during
at that time, conduct more numerous and profitable transactions; and of
encourage them to also carry out other beneficial actions for the
company, such as prescribing it to family and friends.
These three dimensions of growth are basically what
they configure what we call 'loyalty economies'.
• Loyalty economies are earned by the company when the
the service experience that the customer receives is more valuable than what is
I was expecting either that or what you can find in other options.
"Clienting" and the design of strategies for
Clients
. Clienting is the logic with which a virtuous circle is intended to be made possible.
of improving loyal behaviors and the perceived value received.
client.

. In order for the circular dynamics to start, it is necessary to focus the energies.
in the way of increasing the perceived value so that in the segments of
chosen clients increase satisfaction, loyal behaviors and
profitability and the growth of them. These variables must be
managed in a synchronized manner.

. It would be disastrous if an action, by increasing the perceived value, were not

able to improve customer satisfaction. It would also be a
disproportion a action that, increasing perceived value and satisfaction,
it will not improve customer loyalty
"Clienting" and the design of strategies for
Clients
. Finally, increasing the perceived value does not lead to any results either.
customer satisfaction, and loyal behaviors, if the impact of these
the benefits were not significant enough to
to make the costs incurred profitable.

. Ultimately, the relationship between perceived value, satisfaction, loyalty and

profitability must be narrow enough for the stocks
that those who start are able to initiate the movement of the circle of
sustained growth. Otherwise, we are very likely far from
to make profitable the resources inverted.

. The Circle of Profitable Growth is at the heart of the methodology

five steps of Clienting that we present below. The aim is none other than
to capitalize on the latent loyalty economies within the company. The focus
It is the customer base. Clienting is the soul of customer strategies.
Customer Intelligence

• The victories that Clienting aims for are the reduction of the
profitable or potentially profitable customer exits and systematic improvement
of the margin of the entire clientele.

• Those two great victories require a function of 'intelligence'.

about the enemy (the exits and the clients' anorexia) that
allow to propose battles that can be won.

• To perform customer intelligence, information is required.

Customer Intelligence
Some of the sources that can be consulted are the following:

The company's databases where they should have been

recorded the transactions. This is the most valuable source of
information. The database situation in many companies is
disastrous. Without databases and rigor in data collection, no
Customer intelligence can be done.
The external databases that complete the information about the
clients of the company.
The direct question to the client to enrich the information that is available.
about it and the suggestions of frontline staff in
direct contact with the public.

. Subsequently, all that information must be structured, stored and

treated in such a way that we can draw conclusions and plans from them
action.
Customer intelligence
The result of customer intelligence will typically be a battery of matrices in
where information crosses, more or less disaggregated by segments, channels,
regions, etc., such as the following:

Importance of service attributes versus satisfaction with them.

Profitability against client potential.
Profitability versus customer satisfaction.
Profitability against customer engagement.
Customer satisfaction against engagement.

These matrices have an extraordinary utility for effectively implementing a strategy of

clients in which the use of economic and human commercial resources is
rationalizes and is used wisely.

Another product of customer intelligence is initiatives to improve the way in which

that the company competes in the market. We refer to customer intelligence
it must be the great driver of the adaptation processes and change of the model
business of companies.
2. The strategic business model
• Companies actively or passively use a business model in the
markets in which they compete. In fact, the great battles in the
markets are ultimately battles between business models. A good
a business model makes companies nearly unbeatable. A bad model of
business makes daily efforts to improve customer management
sean unproductive.

• Business models must be constantly adapting to changes

in the markets. If they do not adapt and specialize, they die like species
animals.

• The business model defines the company's strategy. It does not change.
strategy if the business model is not changed. The business model
establishes the foundations of average costs and average revenues with which
A company competes in the market.
2. The strategic business model

• The quality of the service experience that the customer takes away is
in direct relation to the quality of the business model. Without a good
business model there is no good service experience. If you
to improve the quality of the service, the model must be improved
business.

• All the inconsistencies and flaws of the business model end up

spoiling the service experience.

• The following describes the four basic elements that

they configure a business model and the four variables of
integration of the business model.
 2. The strategic business model
Targeting and creativity when looking at customers

Companies, to have a good business model, must contribute something regarding

your clients in the way they look at the market and their clients.
Targeting is having variables that allow for better segmentation; it is knowledge.
from the clients to identify those who have more potential; it is to know the needs
of customers poorly satisfied by the competition, etc. Value proposition or promise
to the market

The second decision that shapes a business model is the promise made to the
market. If what is offered to the market is similar to what the competition does, one has
a bad business model. Companies must make differential and valuable promises.
for their target clients. The promise tests the know-how they have.
about value creation. In the value proposition, promises are made about benefits
tangible and emotional. In the value proposition, decisions are made about price. The
propuesta de valor crea también expectativas sobre aspectos tan valiosos al cliente como
it is the discomforts and insecurities that one will have to face.
2. The strategic business model

Supply chain or operations configuration

• The third major decision that shapes a business model is the design of
the company's value chain. Its purchases, logistics, transformation,
quality management, localization and other back-office decisions.

• The glory or the agony of business models is also decided in these

lands.

• There is no good service experience without a designed supply chain.

and directed better than the competition does.
2. The strategic business model

Channels and means of contact

• The last of the critical decisions that shape a model of

business is the design of channel policy and access doors of
client to the company.

• From the channels and access doors, the activities are carried out
sales and service that greatly influence the overall customer experience.

• Companies that want to have a good business model also

They must know how to contribute something more than what the competition does in the
management of channels and access gates.
 2. The strategic business model
Operational leverage or excellence in operations

The synchronization of the value chain and the value proposition creates leverage
operational which is nothing but doing things similar to the competition but faster, with
fewer defects or at a lower cost, or better, be capable of doing things that the
competence does not know or cannot do.

The integration of management systems or excellence in systems

A good business model is evident in the coordination of the operations system.

from the company with the service creation system at the place of provision
same. If we are forgiven for the Anglicisms, it is about making the 'back-office' coherent and
the 'front-office', configured by the network of offices, the stores, the agents
that are involved in the provision of the service, the call centers,
internet, etc. The coherence between these two variables determines the degree of excellence
from the management systems and the quality of support provided to the staff of
first line in their daily task of selling and providing service.
 2. The strategic business model
The accessibility of the system or excellence in sales and service
The service creation system must be designed in a way that is coherent with the
way in which customers are viewed and segmented. The creativity in the use of the
channels and access doors must be consistent with the needs of the clients
those that are preferred to be served. The conjunction of these two variables
structurally conditions the degree of personalization of the company, taken this
like the level of service adequacy to the specific interests of each client or
group of them.

Positioning or marketing excellence

Value propositions synchronized with the new segmentations and needs
identified when targeting is the ultimate test of a business model with
ambition to win the battles of the market. What is characteristic of positioning is its
dynamism. New value propositions for new targets. Change in the proposals of
value to changes in customer sensitivities. Changes in the proposals of
value to competitor movements.
 2. The strategic business model
Conclusion: client intelligence must be made a source of change.
and adaptation of the business model. The best business models are
they let see in their internal coherence, focus, abundance of good practices and
of elements that reinforce each other.

• Clienting involves aiming to have the best business model.

Clienting questions and improves existing business models.

• Clienting knows that there is no sustainable improvement in customer management without

constantes ajustes en el modelo de negocio.

• The best business model adjustments are those that arise in the
customer intelligence is filtered and enriched in the business sense of
management teams.
3. The service mix
This phase of Clienting involves crossing the border from the conceptual to enter into the ...
operational. Just like the marketing mix, it aims for an efficient use of resources to
capturing customers, the service mix aims to achieve efficient use in the use of the
company resources to retain and profit from its customers.
The business model from the previous stage acts as a conceptual framework that
disciplines and organizes the service mixes that are being designed. A service mix
that does not fit into the business model is a service mix to be aborted.
Companies must make it worthwhile for their customers to be better clients.
With "coffee for everyone" policies, that will never be achieved. We need to group the
clients in a way that makes the always scarce allocation intelligent
resources that generate perceived value. Grouping to discriminate. That is segmentation.
The Clienting segments by looking for "good" customers (from yesterday, today, and tomorrow), for

against marketing, which tends to focus more on the 'good-looking' (in the sense that
analyzes appearances and expectations, not real and current behaviors.
4. Implementation
It is the fourth phase of Clienting. It has already been operationalized what type of
service is intended to be provided to what type of client. Only remains the
implementation. A not very simple issue.

The customer approach developed in the previous stage needs

a favorable humus for it to take root in the organization. That is why,
sometimes a more or less transformative process is required
less deep than touching on such critical aspects as structure,
the systems, the people, or the culture.
The work in these areas can be immense. Again
Coordination and coherence are the key words. The change does not occur.
culture in five days and less to the people.
There is no customer strategy that develops healthily and vibrantly.
without these favorable 'atmospheric conditions'.
5. Key management indicators
To learn, the causes-effects of the system must be measured. This is
the fifth phase of Clienting. It is the phase of presenting the data that
allow to know the progress of service quality, the satisfaction of
the customers, their loyalty and profitability. Segmented. And with
ability to infer conclusions about how the variables are related
between yes.
The usual presentation of the key management indicators will be
dashboards in the form of customer management matrices.

Different charts for different hierarchical levels of the organization.

These dashboards must be disaggregated to the level of
commercial manager.
5. Key management indicators

• There is nothing so characteristic of Clienting as seeing a manager.

commercial using a dashboard of your client portfolio
where the operational-financial information of its clients is
put in the context of their satisfaction, loyalty, potential, etc.

• If a sales manager is provided with these tools and

a good commercial planning system not only is
increases its effectiveness as well as its proactivity.

• "Proactivity and personalization are the two secrets"

from customer loyalty.