You Must Consider THIS

10 questions every database marketer should ask When putting together an enterprisewide data management system, the potential for its focus to be diluted is fairly high. Craig Wood, executive vice president for CRM integrated solutions at KnowledgeBase Marketing, offers 10 initial questions to help project coordinators begin to effectively define the scope of their project.

1. What will it take to get the entire organization to embrace customer relationship marketing, as opposed to just the department purchasing the system?

2. How can the system be leveraged across the entire enterprise? For example, can the finance department be given the names of high-risk customers before they default on payment? Can customer service solicit potential defectors before they defect? Can fulfillment management anticipate customer purchase patterns to steady inventory flow?

3. What are the user needs for each component of the new system, and will the system help enable your company to change customer behavior?

4. Will the system allow users to push information out to the people within the organization who need it?

5. Will the system enable users to strategically manage campaigns through multiple channels or touch points, and allow for tracking campaigns on a per-cost basis?

6. What impact will the system have on how the organization spends its marketing dollars?

7. Will the system help the company attract the right customers to the organization, or at least give it the information to do so?

8. Does the system come with tools to promote cross-selling and upselling?

9. Will the system help the marketer understand and retain its best customers?

10. What is the impact, in terms of return on investment, of each component in the system as well as the system as a whole?