Michelle O'Hara - OH! Marketing
Working across so many different industries, we see trends early. One of the scariest, yet opportunistic, trends is the rise of foreign
investment into Australian markets. Records show nearly $5.0 trillion in foreign investment in 2024 with major contributing countries being
the USA, UK, then Belgium, Japan, and Hong Kong.
This coupled with the following business trends means the smaller players need to be on their game, be agile and be ready to move now or they will be squeezed out of the market, gobbled up or simply lose market share and have to close:
• Rapid integration of generative AI
• Continued post-pandemic growth in e-commerce
• Expanding use of social media for business
• Growing focus on sustainability
• Shift in workforce expectations: remote & hybrid work
• Exploration of immersive tech (VR & AR) in operations & CX
For established and large-scale businesses, growth strategies are often framed around sales targets, market share and product expansion. Yet in today’s competitive landscape, where margins are under pressure and customer expectations are constantly evolving, one critical factor is frequently overlooked: customer intelligence.
Knowing your customer is no longer just tactical — it’s strategic. Customer intelligence provides actionable insights that enable leadership teams to focus on the most profitable segments, anticipate client needs before they arise and optimise engagement across every touchpoint. Businesses that leverage these insights can enhance margins, streamline resource allocation and build enduring relationships that drive sustainable growth.
Segment for Profit, Not Just Sales
Most businesses celebrate new customer wins and top-line growth. Landing the “big account” often feels like a milestone worth shouting about. But when you look deeper, not every dollar of revenue carries the same weight and some customers can quietly drain more value than they create. It turns out that 20–40% of customers may actually be unprofitable once the true cost of serving them is considered, with another 80% of profits typically coming from just 20% of customers. As staff numbers lean down, efficiency requirements increase, we must ask ourselves “are the accounts that consume disproportionate time, require customisation or negotiate razor-thin margins, leaving your team stretched and your bottom line under pressure?” And simply, are they worth it?
This is where customer intelligence becomes a competitive edge. It’s not just about knowing who buys the most but understanding who creates true, sustainable profit. By segmenting customers based on profitability rather than volume, leadership teams can make sharper decisions about where to invest, where to hold firm and where to step away. By shifting resources toward profitable customer segments and reducing investment in unprofitable ones, businesses can unlock significant improvements in overall customer lifetime value.
So, the real question for executives isn’t who are our biggest customers? It’s, which customers are genuinely building company value and which ones are quietly eroding it?
Anticipate, Don’t Just React
True growth comes from anticipating customer needs rather than waiting for them to emerge. Reactive strategies risk missed opportunities and weakened loyalty. By leveraging behavioural and transactional data, predictive analytics can forecast buying patterns, identify customer issues early, measure loyalty with accuracy, turning insights into decisive action. Here are some examples of the data to record to give you the competitive advantage.
Companies using advanced customer data are 2.6x more likely to significantly outperform competitors. Furthermore, as of this year, 89% of companies will compete primarily on customer experience (CX), indicating that businesses that anticipate and address customer needs proactively are more likely to achieve higher satisfaction and retention rates.
Furthermore, staying ahead of industry shifts and regulatory changes is just as important. In 2025, 40% of financial services leaders identified regulatory pressure as one of their top three business challenges, surpassing cost pressures for the first time. Evolving NDIS guidelines, new childcare frameworks and shifting hospitality standards create both challenges and opportunities. Businesses that act on these signals early can adapt offerings, optimise resources and position themselves as trusted partners rather than just service providers.
In this context, customer intelligence becomes a strategic lever — enabling teams to anticipate demand, deliver timely solutions and strengthen relationships that drive sustainable growth. It’s not just about reacting faster; it’s about acting with foresight that creates lasting value.
Not Just a Service, A Relationship
Even when you know which customers are profitable and can anticipate their needs, growth is limited if engagement is fragmented. The B2B buying journey has become increasingly complex, with customers engaging in an average of 10 interaction channels before making a purchase decision.This underscores the importance of providing a seamless omnichannel experienceto meet buyer expectations. Each of these touchpoints plays a critical role, from initial awareness campaigns, through nurturing and follow-ups, to post-sale engagement, all shaping the customer’s decision.
By investing strategically in these touchpoints, companies can accelerate sale cycles and strengthen revenue performance. B2B companies that actively engage with their clients through regular touchpoints such as weekly, monthly, quarterly, or bi-annual interactions, experience a 30% increase in profitability, sales and customer retention metrics compared to those with lower engagement levels. Research shows that strong customer relationships can increase revenue per customer by up to 23%, with customers 5x more likely to repurchase and 4x more likely to refer.
Customer intelligence enables businesses to identify which interactions drive growth and which slow progress, allowing teams to optimise engagement, nurture loyalty and create high-value relationships.
Track customer journey success through the following data metrics:
The Strategic Advantage
By identifying the right target market, anticipating customer needs and market trends, and nurturing strong relationships, you’re creating more than a framework — you’re building a competitive edge. Customer intelligence is not just a tool; it’s a discipline that focuses resources where they matter most, stays ahead of future needs, and fosters lasting connections. Data-driven companies are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, 6 times more likely to retain them and 19 times more likely to be profitable.
The key question for leadership teams is clear: Are you leveraging your customer data to its full potential? Are you focused on profitable segments, predicting future needs, and connecting every interaction to drive lasting growth? Those who do will gain a sustainable competitive edge, stronger margins and deeper, long-term customer loyalty and most importantly, already be ready for sale.
