Do Business Well

As we look at the different sources of profile data, keep in mind that customer or member profiles are dynamic: they’ll evolve as your relationship with the customer deepens. Your goal is not to collect all of this information at one time. Asking a lot of questions on a first encounter can be very off-putting. Imagine walking into a store and having someone come up to you, introduce herself as an employee, and immediately ask for your phone number and how much money you make. You’d probably react quite negatively and you might even leave. Asking for personal information on your website is no different.

The sections below outline some of the information you may want to include in your customer model. Data fields you may want to include in each customer’s profile are included in angle brackets (). Keep in mind that this information is valuable only if it supports well-defined business and marketing goals.

Self-Reported Personal Information

<LAST NAME, FIRST NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP/POSTAL CODE, GENDER, BIRTHDAY, PRIMARY LANGUAGE, OCCUPATION, MARITAL STATUS, NUMBER OF CHILDREN …)

Theoretically, all you really need to start communicating with an online customer is his or her email address. If that’s all you have, though, all you’ll be able to do is broadcast the same message to everyone. Always ask yourself the minimum amount of information you will need to begin your dialogue.

When developing customer profiles, leave it up to the customers to determine what they’re comfortable sharing. Asking questions over a period of time is an effective way to show customers that you won’t misuse the information they’re sharing. Clearly indicating the value they’ll receive in return can accomplish the same goal. Asking for the names and birthdays of a registrant’s children may come across as invasive. But inviting a customer to sign up for a reminder and gift suggestion service for his friends and family (including, of course, his children) sounds a lot more innocuous and is more likely to get results.

In the case of eBags and its My eBags membership program, every program email delivers product recommendations and other content that is based on a member’s chosen lifestyle interest(s). To ensure that every email remains personal, relevant and anticipated, the only personal information that eBags requires that you submit when joining the program is first name, last name, email address, lifestyle interest(s), email message type(s) you would like to receive, and a password to protect your file. Customers are asked for their full mailing address only when they make their first purchase.

Subscription Information

<APPLICATION-DEPENDENT INTERESTS (MUSIC GENRES, FAVORITE ARTISTS, STOCK PORTFOLIO, TECHNICAL TOPICS, ETC.), DATE FIRST SUBSCRIBED, DATE OF LAST SUBSCRIPTION UPDATE, TYPE OF EMAIL PROGRAM, FREQUENCY OF CONTACT DESIRED (HOW FREQUENTLY THE CUSTOMER IS WILLING TO HEAR FROM YOU) …>

The most effective subscription forms are those that tie every question directly to the value delivered and make it clear which fields are required and which are optional. When you ask customers to list their favorite musicians, for example, tell them that you’re asking so you can notify them when those artists release new albums. The online subscription form needs to be active at all times so that subscribers can easily examine and update the information. Be sure to ask consumers how often they want to hear from you. If you don’t, you’re risking overcommunicating with (and potentially alienating) them. When signing up for My eBags, a potential customer is required to answer only a few questions. Each question is designed to gather information that is clearly associated with lifestyle interests and is directly linked to the value a customer receives in return for signing up.

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• Online Outsourcing versus Insourcing, online Business Solution
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