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I understand that the title of this post will instantly be considered a ploy to capture attention and links; however, there’s an honest sentiment behind the question:   “Does social media stunt business growth?” After reading Margie Clayman’s post Customer Acquisition: Community Versus Clique here on Sensei Blogs last week, I was left wondering about theRead more

Advocacy, the third stage in the Customer Development sphere of the Sensei Customer Lifecycle model, is the culmination of the business’ effort to engage and support the customer. A customer who has reached this stage in the lifecycle has experienced the seamless conversion of your relationship from vendor-prospect to vendor-customer and now embraces you asRead more

In the B2C world, “Customer Loyalty” has become synonymous with points or rewards membership programs which are used to aid in the acquisition of new customers rather than building value in existing customers. Such loyalty programs are rarer in the B2B landscape yet the tactical importance of loyalty is equally misunderstood and underutilized. 91% ofRead more

There is a significant difference in the tone of a vendor-customer relationship to that of its former vendor-prospect status.  The processes are different; the players are different and so too are the expectations. This first step in the customer development sphere of the customer lifecycle is critical for both parties as it creates the foundationRead more

Customer loyalty programs first launched with great marketing hype surrounding their intention to thank and reward the business’ most loyal customers.  Truth be told, they were conceived as part of a customer acquisition strategy and designed to be a differentiator that pulled customers away from competitors or to encourage repeat purchases.   These programs have expandedRead more

I met with a sales executive at a national technology firm recently who reported that they achieved their sales quotas last year yet the business had zero growth. It was discovered that for every client they brought in, another client was cancelling their contract.   Apparently, churn and managing the Customer Development process was a challengeRead more

The customer lifecycle references the stages customers pass through when considering, purchasing and using products or services offered by their vendors as well as the associated marketing, sales and service tactics the business engages in to push those customers towards a purchase decision. Among B2B marketers, this is not a new concept; however, the mannerRead more

This weeks Twitter #B2BChat topic: Influence and Influencers captured my attention so I had to join to download the collective wisdom of the B2B Twitterites, which inspired this post.  I’ve been challenged by the B2B clients I’ve worked with on how to best incorporate social media tactics widely seen as the domain of B2C businessesRead more