This post off the Tom Peters site caught my attention (Blue + ? = Green).

Everyday as technology unleashes more possibilities on us mortals, I wonder whether it is all for the good!

On page 246 of sales automation done right I wrote:

“An unexpected consequence of this newfound freedom for the traveling salesperson is that it has a very positive impact on the CRM and SFA initiative. Good CRM practices depend on capturing customer information and providing fast, efficient and customized service in return. If a salesperson comes out of a client meeting and heads into Starbucks for coffee, they can use this chance to log details while it is fresh in their mind. They can also research issues raised at the meeting in their company’s archives, and perhaps get back to the customer with answers via an immediate e-mail. Customers are always impressed by this level of immediate attention.”

I still stick to that, but what if the salesman visits the Starbuck’s washroom and decides to use their new bluetooth enabled phone to call head office. I was taught in my early days in sales that “washrooms have ears; the competition could be in there with you.” Best not to do it, time is not that short. I agree with the posting on the Tom Peters site.

I subscibe to the “inside 1to1” newsletter from the the Peppers and Rogers Group. As everyone knows, Peppers and Rogers were the early proponents of the CRM philosophy, and have published some very successful books on this topic. An article in this morning’s edition was titled Customer Acquisition Makes a Comeback. The opening sentence is “After a solid 18 months of obsession with customer retention, the customer strategy pendulum may be swinging toward customer acquisition.”

Retention of the customer means the process of developing a loyal customer base, and making sure that they stay happy and provide more business. Acquisition means that the enterprise puts its efforts into finding new customers.

I was surprised that big business has actually been homing in on one of these strategies at the expense of the other. I thought that you had to do both. Fortunately as I read on, one of the analysts comments supported my feelings—“you need a balanced attack of both existing customer development and involvement in your brand coupled with smart strategies to acquire new customers.”

It struck me that for most businesses, Retention is more about CRM, and Acquisition about SFA. The marketing and sales departments will be involved in both initiatives – but the goals are distinctly different.