Are you able to develop your agency however need to make sure that you preserve the extent of service shoppers anticipate and worth from you? It could be time to take a extra strategic method to your shopper base. However the place do you begin?
Efficient shopper segmentation can improve your scaling efforts and assist your enterprise development ambitions. To begin, we suggest 4 steps that will help you consider your shopper base, successfully categorize them, construct a devoted shopper service mannequin, and implement your technique.
Step 1: Analyze Your E-book of Enterprise
In the case of analyzing your shopper base, you possibly can’t measure what you possibly can’t see. Shopper segmentation offers you clear path and perception into who your present shoppers are and what companies you possibly can present them to assist your corporation scale.
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Suppose by way of each quantitative standards (e.g., belongings beneath administration and income generated) and qualitative elements (e.g., stage of belief, coachability, and referral historical past). Contemplate what you do for them; does everybody presently obtain the identical companies, akin to a monetary plan, an annual overview assembly, common outreach, and invites to shopper occasions? If the reply is sure, get able to shake issues up!

Step 2: Implement an ABSLN Segmentation Framework
Upon getting a greater understanding of your present shoppers, it is time to begin categorizing them. Commonwealth’s Enterprise Consulting workforce typically recommends a holistic segmentation methodology referred to as the “ABSLN” methodology.
ABSLN Segmentation at a Look

This methodology identifies your prime shoppers as “A+,” “A,” or “B” primarily based on the income they generate on your agency. For instance, your high-net-worth (HNW) shoppers fall into the A+ class as they supply a beneficial enhance and enhance of belongings. These shoppers have particular and complicated wants, requiring a better diploma of useful resource and time administration out of your agency.
Not like the quantitative categorization of the highest tiers, the underside tiers depend on qualitative standards. Purchasers in these segments are labeled “S,” “L,” or “N.”
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S/Strategic: People on this tier have the potential to change into very best shoppers. Contemplate younger, excessive earners with robust financial savings, enterprise house owners with illiquid wealth, or HENRYs (excessive earners, not wealthy but).
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L/Legacy: These shoppers could have a legacy relationship that justifies offering continued service—for instance, “A” shoppers’ kids, widows, or private associates.
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N/Non-ideal: These shoppers don’t match into every other segments. For them, you could possibly proceed providing a decreased stage of service, switch them to an affiliate advisor, or discontinue the connection.
ABSLN segmentation gives deeper perception into the sorts of shoppers presently in your guide, which you’ll be able to then use to establish the kinds of companies you may ship to them.
ABSLN in motion
I labored with a Commonwealth-affiliated advisor who was questioning whether or not to rent a service advisor to handle the underside half of their guide, as they have been feeling at capability with their time. Collectively, we used the ABSLN methodology to section their shoppers, which revealed {that a} new rent would price greater than the income being managed and that many current shoppers fell into the “non-ideal” class. The advisor determined to reduce the companies being supplied to that group, which freed up a few of their time.
Step 3: Mix the Energy of Segmentation with Service
As soon as you have completed the shopper segmentation train, you possibly can construct your shopper service mannequin, the place you may establish which companies you may ship to every section—and the way typically.
Use these questions to assist outline and information your service choices:
Your outcomes could begin to appear like the next grids, which pair companies—all the pieces from funding administration to shopper occasions—with shopper tiers. Make sure to take into account the entire variety of hours you may spend to ship service throughout every shopper class. If it would not align with the typical income earned from that class, it’s possible you’ll want to regulate.
Step 4: Put Your Technique into Motion
You’ve got segmented your shoppers and created a service mannequin. Now, it is time to implement your technique by systematically evaluating each side of your corporation and adjusting accordingly.
Listed below are some questions and instance eventualities to contemplate:
Shopper Segmentation: A Launchpad to Enterprise-Degree Progress
Implementing a thoughtfully deliberate shopper segmentation and repair mannequin is not simply good to have—it is a must-have for advisors aiming to succeed in enterprise-level success. By following the 4 important steps we have outlined—analyzing your guide of enterprise, implementing a shopper segmentation framework, combining segmentation with service, and placing your technique into motion—you are laying the groundwork for sustainable, scalable development.
*As of 11/1/2024
