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If you read 1to1 magazine and INSIDE: 1to1 articles it's likely that you're a proponent of treating different customers differently. However, that may not be the case among other executives in your organization. Even if you're the marketing chief, you likely need buy-in from other top executives to get the support you need from across the organization to make one-to-one strategies a reality.

I attended a Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange recently during which one of the speakers provided insight into how to get executive commitment for treating different customers differently. His approach was actually quite simple (not surprising, given his title):

According to Steve Rooks, vice president, simplification and enterprise center, Bell Canada, you have to get executives "past thinking that treating low-value customers differently means treat them [badly]. It's setting a baseline and treating higher value customers more effectively."

I agree. Companies need to treat all their customers well -- even those they prefer would instead buy from competitors -- if for no other reason that the power of positive (and negative) word of mouth. Then create what Harrah's CEO Gary Loveman calls a meritocracy, in which higher-value customers get higher levels of interaction and service.

Now who wouldn't buy in to that...