Classify customer accounts by sales model, lead, relationship, and service requirements.
Direct sales customers can include corporate businesses, public institutions, project clients, professionals, or high-value individual clients. Not every customer requires the same sales and service model.
The customer segment, industry, size, potential, product usage, and relationship level can determine the account plan, visit frequency, sales team, and service standard.
Customer classifications
Sector and sub-sector
Company size
Geography
Current sales and potential
Strategic importance
Profitability
Product usage scope
Risk and payment behavior
Account ownership
Main account manager
Product or solution specialists
Regional sales representative
Technical sales or consulting
Customer service representative
Executive sponsor
Customer plan
Current relationship and products
Customer goals and priorities
Growth opportunities
Risks and competitors
Important people
Annual sales and activity plan
Common success criteria
Customer profitability
Customer value should not be measured solely by turnover. Discount, service, logistics, financing, sales effort, return, and support costs must also be considered.
Treat direct sales customers not as monolithic accounts, but as a manageable customer portfolio requiring different models of value, risk, and relationship.