Having worked with countless executives from start-ups to the Fortune 500 in strategic planning and leadership coaching, I know the concern these executives have for customers and the frustration many of them feel in not knowing as much as they would like about what motivates their customers. They have a similar frustration in linking their strategic plan to operational execution. Now there is a solution. I heartily endorse Linda Sharp’s book Customer Relationship Intelligence and the actionable process she describes that will allow executives to have consistent, relevant data from across their enterprise to manage in real time. She has achieved simplicity beyond the complexity that has stymied so many.

Marilyn Manning, PhD, CSP, CMC, CEO
The Consulting Team, LLC

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter One: Overcoming Risk and Uncertainty Challenges

Putting new relationship metrics in context

Relationship Value, a breakthrough way to measure sales and marketing.

Customer Relationship Intelligence (CRI) Framework, a breakthrough way to manage sales and marketing

Making the case for change

Challenge #1: Customers are invisible

Challenge #2: Executives are isolated

Challenge #3: Operational control in sales and marketing is incomplete and disjointed

Just imagine

Key Points

Chapter Two: Where the Money Is: Customer Retention

It’s time to think differently

Time to harness the power of the underlying customer relationship strategy

Time to consider customer service as a profit center

Time to orchestrate sales and marketing and customer service

Time to get real about being customer-centric

Key Points

Chapter Three: A Comprehensive, Consistent Framework

The CRI Framework extends sales and marketing into retention

The CRI Framework runs a customer relationship process

The CRI Framework builds intelligence into this cross-functional process

Key Points

Chapter Four: The Missing Metric: Relationship Value

Why relationships should be measured

Using a relative value is the measurement breakthrough

Relationship Value is the missing metric

Eight ways Relationship Value can be used

Six ways Relationship Value and the CRI Framework make a difference

Relationship Value measures success

Key Points

Chapter Five: Customer Relationship Strategy

Linking strategy to execution and profit, in practice

Developing customer relationship strategy

Focusing on retention for sustainability and profit

Key Points

Chapter Six: Customer Relationship Tactics

Adapting tactical plans to fit the new framework

Preparing to operationalize strategy

Key Points

Chapter Seven: What Executes Strategy? Customer interactions

Putting plans into operation

Putting it all together

The configuration process is straightforward

Setting up the Customer Relationship Intelligence tracking system

Collaborating is simple with the tracking system

Key Points

Chapter Eight: Operational Control with Customer Relationship Intelligence

Data farming provides a context for data mining

How real-time does “real-time” need to be?

Short-term, real-time management is now simple

Long-term analysis makes it easy to repeat success

Improving your unique business model iteratively

Key Points

Chapter Nine: A Vision for a Customer-Focused Enterprise

Value to your company

Value to your team

Value to your customers

Implications for management

Mindset for change

Operating principles for change

Acknowledgements and A Special Thank You

About the Author

Index