Customer value

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The customer value ( english customer value ) is in the business administration and marketing of the providers rated contribution of customers to achieve the business objectives of the provider.

General

Not every customer is profitable for a company . Every company has a certain number of customers, for whose relationship it spends more costs than it earns in profit contribution . Customer relationship management (CRM) is supposed to improve this situation. This includes the customer evaluation (assessment of the customers according to their potential, which can be used by the company) as well as the resulting marketing or possibly also demarketing activities .

Determination of customer value

There are various methods of determining customer value:

  • Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), with which the profitability of a customer is estimated in the form of its net present value for the individual periods of the business relationship. The CLV is therefore an economic consideration of the customer lifetime.
  • Customer contribution margin calculation, in which the revenues and expenses for each customer are offset against one another in order to obtain the surpluses per customer relationship.
  • ABC customer analysis , in which customers are classified according to their turnover and / or contribution margin. According to the Pareto rule , the 20% customers with the highest sales are the A customers, the 20% with the weakest sales are C customers, the rest are B customers. When processing these customer groups, their potential should also be taken into account (see below).
  • Scoring model in which all transactions with a customer are weighted and given positive or negative points. The weighted point value is used to classify customers.
  • Customer portfolio (see below).

All of these classifications have the goal of applying a differentiated customer relationship strategy in order to counteract customer treatment according to the watering can principle. For cost reasons, only the most profitable customers receive extensive support. The costs are reduced for unprofitable customers.

Focusing on the profitability of the customers has the advantage that a long-term perspective is taken. Customer care expenses are investments that must provide long-term returns.

Customer portfolio

The portfolio approach developed in finance assumes that the various investment options are mixed in such a way that there is a balanced relationship between profit and risk. This approach has also been used in strategic corporate and marketing planning since the 1970s.

With regard to customer value, this means that the funds invested in the respective customer must be in a balanced relationship to their profit potential.

A distinction must be made between the following four customer groups:

  • Stars : These customers prefer a large benefit from the products and / or services of the company . On the other hand, they are very valuable for the company because they generate high profit margins and have long-lasting customer loyalty . This is a classic win-win situation. This customer group is the most attractive for the company.
  • Poor Dogs : These customers get little benefit from the company's products or services and have little value to the company. If they fail to turn them into more profitable customers, investments in this customer group should be reduced.
  • Question mark : They represent a high value for the company, but derive little benefit from its products or services. This can e.g. B. be long-term customers who stay with the company mainly out of habit. The relationship with these customers is jeopardized by the actions of competitors, as they are not optimally looked after by the company. For this customer group, thought should be given to improved products or services as well as additional services and similar activities.
  • Free riders : They derive a high level of benefit from the company's products or services, but have little value for the company. These are e.g. B. Large companies that enforce high discounts. Basically, the prices for this customer group should be increased or the service level should be reduced. The assessment of each customer, however, must also spillover effects are taken into account, from the transition to competition may arise.

Customer potential analysis

By means of the customer potential analysis, the future prospects of the individual customers are evaluated in order to gain information for the differentiated processing of these customers. A purely past-related consideration of numbers from your own accounting, such as B. sales, incoming orders, contribution margins are not sufficient for this.

The analysis should a. based on the following criteria (see Nieschlag / Dichtl / ​​Hörschgen):

  • Company size and growth of the customer
  • Competitive situation of the customer
  • Corporate governance of the customer
  • Macroeconomic influences such as B. Business cycle dependency.

Criticism of the process

The presented methods have the disadvantage that they only evaluate the purchasing behavior of customers. However, the earnings value of a customer also depends on their payment history . To do this, it would have to be determined to what extent the customer complies with the payment terms agreed with the supplier .

literature

  • Bernd Günter, Sabrina Helm (Ed.): Customer value: Basics - innovative concepts - practical implementation . Gabler 2001 (1st edition), 2003, 2006; Springer Gabler 2017 (4th edition, ISBN 978-3658109196 )
  • Jürgen Krenz: The analysis of customer value , vdm 2006, ISBN 3-86550-591-0
  • Bernd Hempelmann, Markus Lürwer: The Customer Lifetime Value approach to determining customer value . In: WISU. 3, No. 32, 2003, pp. 336-341.
  • Robert Nieschlag / Erwin Dichtl / ​​Hans Hörschgen: Marketing , 18th edition, Duncker & Humblot 1997 (19th edition 2002, ISBN 978-3428109302 )
  • Jerry Yoram Wind, Jere Main: Driving Change , NY 1998, ISBN 978-0684827445 .
  • Pius Kueng / Beat Schillig / Rosella Toscano: Key Account Management , Midas Verlag Zurich 2006, 3rd edition, ISBN 3-907100-11-5

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Geml, R./Lauer, H .: Marketing and Sales Encyclopedia , 4th ed., Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-7910-2798-2
  2. ↑ a b Gupta, S./Lehman, DR: Managing Customers as Investments , Upper Saddle River, NJ 2005
  3. ↑ www.berndguenter.de/vita