Select & Connect

One of the most pressing challenges marketers face today stem from a single source: the persistent lack of a cohesive strategy for selecting, profiling and targeting customers that offer the most profitability, longevity and value to the company. To explore this important issue, the CMO Council is launching a new research initiative titled Select & Connect, Strategies for Targeted Acquisition and Retention. This program will uncover the challenges, trends and opportunities associated with developing and managing an effective approach to Selective Customer Activation, from lead generation to loyalty and referral.

The CMO Council Select & Connect study will look at systems and practices used by companies to identify, profile, activate and retain valued, long-term customers. It will examine the marketing organization's level of customer knowledge, insight and visibility, as well as the segmentation methodologies and approaches used to target and acquire the most predisposed prospects and profitable opportunities. The research initiative will explore the degree of alignment between selling processes/channels and marketing and business strategies, as well as the effectiveness of relevant messaging delivered to the right audience, in the right way, at the right time. The program will identify the extent to which marketers are sourcing, aggregating, cleansing and utilizing customer data and analytics to design and field integrated, multi-channel campaigns, maximize lead generation activities, and improve return-on-relationships. It will also assess whether Selective Customer Activation strategies can optimize marketing spend, reduce selling cycles, increase close rates, and maximize revenue and yield.

The Select & Connect program, administered by the CMO Council and underwritten by NetLine Corporation, will examine these issues through qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys of top marketing executives from hundreds of leading global brands. The resulting analysis will be published in a comprehensive report and accompanying Webinar in April 2006, identifying the top issues, concerns and best practices for Selective Customer Activation among the world’s leading businesses.