If you’re trying to wrangle a bunch of B2B customers and actually keep track of what matters, you know it’s never as simple as “just use a CRM.” Maybe you’re already using Empler, or you’re weighing it against whatever you’ve patched together so far. Either way, this guide’s for you: the practical stuff, the pitfalls, and how to actually get segmentation working without making yourself crazy.
Let’s skip the buzzwords and get right into it.
Why B2B Account Management Is Its Own Beast
Managing B2B customer accounts isn’t like managing a list of individual buyers. Here’s what makes it tricky:
- Multiple contacts per company: There’s never just one point of contact—think billing vs. users vs. decision-makers.
- Different contract terms: Each account might have custom terms, pricing, or renewal cycles.
- Longer sales cycles: Relationships matter, and you need to track every touchpoint.
- Segmenting by what matters: Industry, size, region, product usage, and more.
If you ignore these, you’ll waste time chasing the wrong people and miss upsell or renewal opportunities. Empler is built for this, but you’ve got to set it up right.
Step 1: Get Your B2B Accounts into Empler (The Right Way)
First things first—if your data’s a mess, everything else will be a slog.
Importing Accounts - Use Empler’s import tool. Start with a CSV if you’re coming from something else. - Map fields carefully: company name, domain, main contact, account owner, contract dates, segment tags. - Double-check for duplicates. Empler’s de-duplication is decent, but not magic.
Pro Tips: - Don’t bother with every field “just in case.” Only import what you’ll actually use. - Tag bad data for cleanup later—don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of “done.”
Step 2: Structure Your Accounts (So They Make Sense Later)
If you treat each company like a person, you’ll regret it. Empler lets you set up accounts as organizations, with contacts under each.
Best Practices: - Organization = Account: Each customer company gets one “account.” - Contacts: Add all relevant contacts under the company, not as separate accounts. - Custom fields: Use these for stuff like contract value, product tier, or implementation phase.
What Not to Do: - Don’t skip adding secondary contacts. If your champion leaves, you’ll be glad you did. - Don’t overload every account with “notes” no one reads. Stick to actionable info.
Step 3: Define Segments that Actually Matter
Segmentation is easy to overthink. The trick is to keep it simple and focused on what helps you sell and support.
Common Useful Segments: - Industry (e.g., SaaS, Manufacturing) - Company size (number of employees, revenue band) - Region (EMEA, North America, APAC) - Lifecycle stage (Prospect, Onboarding, Active, At-risk, Churned) - Product usage (Power user, Occasional, Not activated) - Contract value (High, Medium, Low)
How to Set This Up in Empler: - Use custom fields or tags for the above. - Keep the list tight—too many segments, and you’ll never use them. - Build saved views for each key segment. For example, “High-Value / At-Risk Accounts.”
What to Ignore: - Don’t create segments you’re not going to act on. “Uses dark mode” is fun but useless. - Avoid “just-in-case” fields. They clutter reports and never get filled in right.
Step 4: Build Workflows Around Your Segments
Now that you’ve got your segments, make them work for you. Don’t just look at pretty dashboards—set up real processes.
Examples: - Renewal Reminders: Automatically flag accounts whose contracts expire in 90 days. - Upsell Opportunities: Filter for accounts hitting usage limits or approaching contract renewal. - Onboarding Checklists: For new accounts, set up task lists tied to their lifecycle stage.
How to Do It in Empler: - Use built-in automation for reminders or assign tasks. - Create shared views for your team so everyone’s working off the same list. - Set up alerts for “at-risk” segments (e.g., low usage, support tickets piling up).
Honest Take: - Automation helps, but overdoing it just leads to ignored notifications. - Focus on a handful of high-impact triggers—stuff you’d actually follow up on.
Step 5: Track What Matters, Skip the Vanity Metrics
You’ll be tempted to track everything. Resist. Focus on the signals that drive action.
What’s Actually Useful: - Engagement: Last login, support tickets, and who’s actually using your product. - Renewal date and contract value: So you know what’s on the line. - Key contacts: Make sure they’re up to date—people change jobs all the time.
What’s Often a Waste: - Counting every email or call—quality matters more than quantity. - Tracking “sentiment” if it’s just a guess—stick to real activity.
Use Empler’s reporting to build dashboards around these, and review them regularly. If you’re not acting on a metric, stop tracking it.
Step 6: Keep Your Data Clean (Without Losing Your Mind)
Bad data creeps in over time—contacts leave, companies get acquired, fields get out of sync.
Simple Routines: - Monthly: Review bounced emails and update contacts. - Quarterly: Audit segments and custom fields—merge or delete what’s not used. - Before renewals: Double-check contract info and main contacts.
Empler’s strengths: - Bulk editing and clean-up tools are solid. - Easy to filter for missing critical fields.
What to Ignore: - Don’t obsess over every typo. Fix what matters to sales, support, or renewals.
Step 7: Review and Adjust—Don’t Get Stuck in Setup Mode
The best segmentation plan is the one you actually use. Once you’re up and running:
- Get feedback from your team on what’s working and what’s being ignored.
- Adjust segments and fields as your business changes.
- Archive or merge old accounts—don’t let zombie data pile up.
Pro Tip: - Set a calendar reminder to review your setup every six months. You’ll spot all the stuff that seemed smart at the time but hasn’t helped at all.
What Works, What Doesn’t, What to Watch Out For
Works: - Keeping segmentation simple and actionable. - Regularly updating contacts and contract info. - Using saved views and automation for real workflows (not just dashboards).
Doesn’t Work: - Over-segmenting until you’re drowning in filters. - Relying on automation to “fix” bad data. - Tracking metrics just because they look good in a report.
Watch Out For: - Letting your team slip back into using spreadsheets on the side. If they’re doing it, your setup’s too complicated. - “Ownership drift”—make sure every account always has a real person responsible.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Keep Improving
Managing B2B customer accounts in Empler shouldn’t be a full-time job (unless it is, in which case, get help). Focus on what helps you close deals, keep customers happy, and spot churn before it happens. Start with the basics, fix what’s broken, and don’t get sucked into endless setup.
Iterate as you go. Most of all—don’t confuse fancy dashboards with real progress. Keep it simple, and step away from the filters once in a while.