By Jonathan Farrington, The JF Consultancy

As the recession begins to fade into our memories, like a really bad dream that came true, now is the time to make the very most of our most important customers: They remained loyal through the harsh times, and we need to repay that loyalty – but do we?

A vitally important sales activity is that of managing existing customer accounts to consolidate and grow the relationship. Yet unfortunately, when compared over time, the customers’ interest levels increase while salespeople’s interest levels tend to decrease. This creates a “relationship gap” and is due entirely to complacency.

It is not totally disimiliar to the sixties, seventies and eighties, when sexual promiscuity was rife; or if you were a male, “de rigour” - the next conquest was always going to be much more interesting than the last. But was it really? We never hung around long enough to find out.

Another major issue is that too often the salesperson fails to expand their “contact base” as this next survey proves, which results in vulnerability and exposure to competitive activity

Periodically, the Financial Times (London version) conducts a survey of British industry to establish how companies go about their purchasing. The survey is very comprehensive, broken down into many kinds of products and services.

From a Sales Director’s (VP Sales) perspective, these are very worrying statistics.

Customer size (Number of employees): Less than 200

Average number of buying influencers: 3.43

Number of influencers identified by salespeople: 1.72

Customer size (Number of employees): 200 – 400

Average number of buying influencers: 4.85

Number of influencers identified by salespeople: 1.75

Customer size (Number of employees): 401 – 1000

Average number of buying influencers: 5.81

Number of influencers identified by salespeople: 1.90

Customer size (Number of employees): 1001 +

Average number of buying influencers: 6.50

Number of influencers identified by salespeople: 1.65

In essence, without a sustained approach to ongoing servicing and support activities, customers that took months to win are ultimately lost because there was a lack of interest from their supplier.

To-days clients/customers are looking for vendors who can be business-partners, who are willing and able to share risks and who are able to properly manage the entire sales process.

Fact: It now costs fifteen times as much to locate and sell to a new customer, as it does to an existing one.

Are you making the most of your customer base? Answer the questions below honestly and find out.

1. How many regular clients do you have?

2. Has that number increased in the last twelve months?

3. How many of them have bought in the last three months?

4. Of those ‘regular clients’, how many have you contacted in the last month?

5. Of those, in how many have you progressed upwards from the user/recommender?

6. With how many of them do you enjoy exclusivity i.e. “preferred supplier” status?

7. How many of your clients have bought more the ‘second’ time around than when they originally bought from you?

8. With how many of your regular clients have you conducted an account review within the last six months?

Study your answers – are you still confident you are making the most of your most important accounts?