1. 1 An organised marketing database will provide a wealth of knowledge. Explore the data that you hold about customers to develop more intimate business relationships
2. 2 Stay up-to-date with your clients. Once you have built a database don't reduce its effectiveness through neglect. Audit your data regularly
3. 3 Updating your customer data may provide valuable insight. For example, a change of address may create a sales opportunity
4. 4 Consider the most appropriate communication channel for each customer
5. 5 Communicate appropriately with your clients. Overuse of channels such as email can cut opening rates
6. 6 Identify key purchase motivations for particular customer groups and make offers relevant
7. 7 Divide your customers into around 10 key groups. By identifying clear customer groups you can target more effectively
8. 8 Consider using an outside consultant for advice. External suppliers should have specialist CRM expertise and resources
9. 9 Use appropriate software to improve your customer relationship management (CRM) capability. Don't build a database that requires a degree in computer science to design and run queries. There are a range of powerful and fast query tools available
10. 10 Follow the 80:20 rule. Often 80% of the benefits can be achieved from 20% of the investment. Don't get carried away with over-engineering the solution

Andrew Woodger, data services director, Adare