Your database should contain the data that will allow you to achieve your sales strategy. Everything revolves around optimising your customer data and building your customer’s confidence.

A Database with customers and prospects together

Many companies don’t realize the importance of creating their database that combines both customer and prospect information. Your prospects are your future customers. Treat them the same. Ensure that you collect the same data from them as early as possible after your first contact. If that is not possible keep in contact with them to develop the data you hold. How many companies hold thousands of moribund records simply because they have not kept in touch. Keep your relationships dynamic.

Designing your database in 6 simple steps

Here are some important tips to design your database and the different ways you can use it. The first thing is to define the goal of your dataset, what do you want it to do for. Once you know that, the rest is easy and once it’s designed it’s probably your most valuable asset.

Identify what is important by asking yourself 6 questions about your customers & prospects

1.Who they are?

Concentrate on the customer and prospect overview: name, phone, address, email address, city and other basic contact information. Don’t overload at this level.

2.What do they like doing?

Make a record with detailed customer and prospect information, which otherwise may be lost or forgotten over the time. Try to get as much information as possible, such as hobbies, specific needs, personalities, work schedules, lifestyles and preferences.

3.How can you reach them?

Develop good email marketing campaigns and create loyalty promotions

4.How do they respond to campaigns?

Use your marketing campaigns to support your online sales activity and tailor your sales management process accordingly.

5.How do they buy?

Monitor the purchasing processes of your customers and prospects

6.What will attract them?

Target your marketing strategy and segment it so that you are developing a more personalized and hi-impact message.

The importance of segmentation

Look at your database as a communication tool with your customers and prospects. Understand the importance of segmentation. Ensure that your messages are relevant to your audience, do not become a junk mail provider. Only by tailoring your campaigns to your intended audience will you generate interest in your products and services.

In the next section we will show you the most important information that you should consider having in your database, obviously relevant to your specific business.1

1.Common information to both B2C and B2B

General Information

• Name
• Surname
• Phone number
• Mobile number
• E-mail
• City
• State
• Street address

Customer specific data to use in developing your database

• Hobbies (football, tennis, team, racing, movies)
• Preferred products / services (of which you sell)
• Social economic status (education, culture)
• Type of personality (cheerful, moody, impatient)

2.Specific additional information to B2C

Data Segmentation

• Consumer buying habits
• Publicly available data

3.Specific additional information to B2B

General Information

• Company’s name
• Contact name
• Position held
• Company’s social media networks (Twitter / Instagram or other)
• Web page

Data Segmentation

• Type of industry (industrial, commercial or service industry)
• Company size (micro, small, medium, large)

Personality of your key contact

• Business type of the company (national, transnational, etc.)
• Business philosophy of the company

Actual and business strategy rather than just demand from focused database design software

All SME’s must move on from ad hoc databases in “Excel” and move on to targeted design in order to realize the benefits of a database.

If you think that your company is ready, move to the next phase and professionalize its customer management relationships, it’s you adopting unique CRM strategy to achieve your strategy.