It’s cheaper to retain a current customer than to acquire a new customer. Customers are appreciating assets. It’s not about customer delight; compare the cost of marketing programs against benefits. Jesse Albright has worked with companies to improve customer equity, increasing loyalty systems to as many as 40 million members. Marketing programs should be implemented only to the point that it increases the customer lifetime value (CLTV). See Good Customers and Bad Customers below. 

A GOOD CUSTOMER Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 A BAD CUSTOMER Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Number of orders per year 2 3 4 Number of orders per year 2 2 2
Average order size $90 $95 $100 Average order size $90 $90 $90
Total revenue $180 $285 $400 Total revenue $180 $180 $180
       
Cost of sales % 70% 65% 60% Cost of sales % 70% 70% 70%
Cost of sales $ $126 $185 $240 Cost of sales $ $126 $126 $126
Acquisition/marketing costs $55 $45 $35 Acquisition/marketing costs $55 $55 $55
Total costs $181 $230 $275 Total costs $181 $181 $181
       
Gross profit ($1) $55 $125 Gross profit ($1) ($1) ($1)
Discount rate 1.00 1.08 1.17 Discount rate 1.00 1.08 1.17
Net present value ($1) $51 $107 Net present value ($1) ($1) ($1)
Cumulative net present value ($1) $50 $157 Cumulative net present value ($1) ($2) ($3)
       
Discount rate 1.00 1.08 1.17 Discount rate 1.00 1.08 1.17
Interest rate 8% 8% 8% Interest rate 8% 8% 8%
Number of years to wait 0 1 2 Number of years to wait 0 1 2



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