[Rule 9] To build strong customer relationships, start with customer ID integration.

This series commemorates the release of the book published by Dentsu Digital Inc .: 'Dentsu Digital Inc.'s Top Marketers Teach: 10 Essential Rules for Digital Marketing Success - The Key to Creating an Easy-to-Understand System That Keeps Selling'.

Part 9features an excerpt on "Integrating Customer Data Between Marketing and Sales Departments" fromPrinciple 9: "Start with Customer ID Integrationto Build Strong Customer Relationships."

 

Customer Data Integration Between Marketing and Sales Departments

For any company, "expanding sales" is undoubtedly a major shared mission. However, the approach to achieving this likely differs by department. For some, the mission might be "creating a great product," while for others, it could be "procuring materials at the lowest possible cost."

Even within the "marketing department" and "sales department," which both handle the same "customer information," their objectives differ subtly. While the division of roles varies by company, the marketing department's primary mission is often "identifying potential customers and directing them to the sales floor." Conversely, the sales floor's mission is "how to get the prospective customer who has come to the store (or the meeting place) to make a purchase." While both are closely related, their differing missions mean they handle customer data differently.

In the past, the marketing department would communicate the appeal of the company's products to a broad, unspecified target audience. Targets who were assumed to have been exposed to this communication would then visit the store, where sales representatives would approach them. These individuals would then be managed individually as part of a "customer list." However, with the increasing digitization of customer touchpoints and the ability to track their behavior with greater precision, integrating the information held by the marketing department with that held by the sales department can significantly boost the efficiency of both.

With the increase in online approaches, the marketing department is likely pouring its energy into leveraging detailed customer data to approach more precisely targeted audiences. Meanwhile, the sales department, drawing on past experience, is probably using digital management tools more than ever to conduct different sales pitches based on customer attributes, create their own attack lists, and time their approaches carefully.

How would user communication change if data from these two departments were integrated?

At one imported car manufacturer, data from customers requesting online quotes or test drives was previously sent to dealers on an ad-hoc basis, while campaign application data was only shared in bulk. However, in recent campaigns, detailed user data is captured at the time of application. This data is then scored, and only users deemed highly likely to purchase are shared with dealerships, along with detailed information.

This enables the sales department to know before the meeting: what media the user engaged with the brand through, which campaigns they applied for, what brand their current vehicle is, which models they are interested in, when their next vehicle inspection is due, when they are considering purchasing a new car, their occupation, hobbies, and family structure. It's easy to imagine how this gives them an advantage in the sales meeting. Sales representatives can prepare test drive vehicles for models the customer is interested in, explain differences compared to their current vehicle, or even prepare items for children.

Furthermore, for the marketing department, linking this data enables them to promptly understand actual sales outcomes.This allows forprecisePDCA cycles: verifying whether the correct target audience was approached, confirming the accuracy of identified referred users, and determining which user attributes to focus on moving forward.

Above all, whether online or offline, users who receive personalized hospitality tailored to their preferences will have a high-quality customer experience.

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