If you’re in B2B pricing, you already know customer segmentation isn’t just a “nice to have” — it’s the only way to avoid pricing chaos and endless one-off deals. This guide is for product managers, commercial teams, and anyone wrangling with customer data inside Leveragepoint who wants their segmentation to actually work, not just look good in a slide deck.
We’ll walk through how to create segments step-by-step, how to avoid the usual traps, and how to make your segments something sales teams will actually use. If you’re tired of vague advice, you’re in the right place.
Why Segmentation Matters (But Can Go Off the Rails)
Before diving in, let’s be honest: most companies overcomplicate segmentation. The goal isn’t to make fancy charts — it’s to set prices that stick and make sense to customers. Good segmentation means:
- You stop quoting wildly different prices for the same offer.
- Sales has a defensible, repeatable way to explain pricing.
- You find opportunities to upsell, cross-sell, or protect margins — not just chase volume.
What doesn’t work? Segments based on what’s easy to pull from your CRM (“industry,” “region”) but don’t reflect what customers actually value or how they buy. If your segments don’t help you set better prices, they’re just window dressing.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You’re Segmenting For
Don’t start with data; start with your pricing problem. Ask yourself:
- Are you trying to stop margin erosion from big customers?
- Do you have wildly different willingness-to-pay across industries?
- Is your product used in totally different ways by different customers?
Be honest. If you just want to make your boss happy, this isn’t worth your time. But if you want to set price floors, create targeted offers, or justify premiums, segmentation is how you get there.
Pro Tip: If you can’t write down in one sentence why you need segments, stop and do that first. It’ll save you from creating 15 useless customer groups.
Step 2: Decide What Actually Differentiates Your Customers
Here’s where most segmentation goes off the rails. Don’t default to what’s in your database — focus on what matters for pricing. That usually means:
- Value drivers: What do different customers actually care about? (Speed, reliability, compliance, etc.)
- Buying behavior: How do they buy? (Long RFPs, quick decisions, single buyer vs. committee)
- Willingness to pay: Can you charge more for some groups, and why?
- Product usage: Are they using your product in a basic or advanced way?
Skip vanity segments like “company size” unless it really changes how they value your product. You want segments that lead to different pricing decisions — not just different colors on a chart.
What to ignore: Internally-focused stuff (“strategic accounts,” “Tier 1”) doesn’t help unless it’s tied to real differences in value or pricing power.
Step 3: Gather the Data — and Accept Imperfection
You’ll never have perfect data. Don’t let that stop you. In Leveragepoint, you can start with what you know (even if it’s messy):
- Customer lists from sales, CRM exports, or even spreadsheets.
- Win/loss data, historical deal sizes, or discounting patterns.
- Input from salespeople — the good ones know which customers push back on price, and which don’t blink.
Don’t waste weeks hunting for the “right” data. Start with what you have, and refine later.
Pro Tip: Talk to 2-3 sales reps who actually close deals. Ask them, “Which customers pay list? Which ones always get a discount? Why?” You’ll get more real-world insight than any report.
Step 4: Build Segments in Leveragepoint
Now for the hands-on part. In Leveragepoint, you’ll use the Customer Segmentation feature to organize accounts. Here’s how to do it without making a mess:
- Log in and go to the Segmentation section.
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You’ll usually find this under “Customers” or “Segmentation,” depending on your setup.
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Choose your segmentation criteria.
- Use the value drivers or behaviors you identified earlier, not just what’s easy.
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Typical examples: “Regulated vs. Unregulated,” “High-value vs. Price-sensitive,” “Enterprise vs. SMB.”
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Import or select accounts.
- You can bulk import from a CSV or manually assign accounts.
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If you’re not sure, start small — pick 10-20 accounts and see how it feels.
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Assign segments.
- Drag-and-drop or use filters to group accounts.
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Don’t overthink it. You can (and should) adjust later.
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Link segments to value models or price guidance.
- This is where Leveragepoint shines — tie each segment to a different pricing structure, value prop, or discount band.
- If you can’t articulate how the pricing differs by segment, your segments probably aren’t useful.
A word of caution: Don’t create too many segments. If you end up with more than 5-7, you’re probably making life harder for yourself and your sales team.
Step 5: Pressure-Test Your Segments
Your first draft won’t be perfect — and that’s fine. Before rolling it out:
- Sense-check with sales: Do these segments make sense to people on the ground? If they say “this is just how marketing sees the world,” you’ve missed the mark.
- Check pricing logic: Can you actually set different prices or discounts for each segment? If not, you’re just sorting for fun.
- Run a few real deals through the segments: Would these groupings actually change the price, or do you end up overriding the system every time?
What to ignore: Fancy statistical clustering or AI-driven segmentation. Unless you have thousands of customers and a data science team, it’s overkill. The best segments are obvious and actionable.
Step 6: Roll Out and Train (But Keep It Simple)
Don’t dump your new segments on sales with a 30-slide deck. Here’s what actually works:
- Short internal FAQ: “Here’s why we made these segments, here’s what it means for pricing, here’s who to ask if you have questions.”
- Cheat sheets: One-pagers that show which customers are in which segment, and what price guidance applies.
- Feedback loop: Set up a Slack channel, email alias, or regular check-in to gather real-world feedback.
Pro Tip: Watch for “exceptions.” If every deal needs a custom override, your segments aren’t working. That’s a sign to simplify.
Step 7: Review and Adjust Quarterly
Customer behavior changes. Your segments should, too. Every few months:
- Look at deal data — is discounting creeping back up for certain segments?
- Ask sales if the segments still make sense.
- Drop segments that aren’t pulling their weight, and don’t be afraid to merge or split as you learn.
Don’t get precious. Segmentation is a tool, not a philosophy. Change it when it stops serving your pricing goals.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Watch Out For
Works:
- Segments based on real value differences, not lazy categories.
- Involving sales early, so segments aren’t just “corporate fiction.”
- Tying segments directly to pricing guidance in Leveragepoint.
Doesn’t Work:
- Over-segmentation (no one wants to manage 12 customer types).
- Using fuzzy criteria like “innovative” or “strategic” with no pricing consequence.
- Treating segmentation as a one-time project.
Watch Out For:
- Data quality — it’ll never be perfect, but obvious mistakes (wrong industry, old contacts) will undermine trust fast.
- Sales ignoring segments — if it’s too complicated or doesn’t fit how they sell, they’ll work around it.
- Analysis paralysis — better to start rough and improve than wait for perfect data.
Keep It Simple. Iterate as You Learn.
Segmentation in Leveragepoint isn’t about showing off your analytical chops — it’s about making pricing clearer and more effective. Start with a handful of segments that actually change pricing decisions. Talk to sales early and often. Review and adjust as you see what works in real deals.
If you’re tempted to overthink it, remember: the simplest segmentation you can actually use is better than the perfect one you’ll never finish.