Building up a solid customer reference database isn’t glamorous, but it makes a huge difference when your sales team is chasing down deals. If you’re sick of last-minute scrambles to find a happy customer to vouch for you, or you’re stuck cobbling together references from scattered spreadsheets, this guide’s for you. We’ll walk through how to actually use Point-of-reference to get your customer reference program out of spreadsheets and into something sales can use—without turning it into a bureaucratic mess.
Why Bother With a Customer Reference Database?
Let’s be blunt: buyers want proof, not promises. Especially in B2B. Having real customers willing to talk about your product is gold. But if you can’t find the right reference—or worse, you keep pestering the same handful of customers until they ghost you—your reference program isn’t working.
A proper database makes it easy to: - Quickly match the right reference to a prospect (industry, company size, use case, etc.). - Avoid burning out your same “star” customers. - Make life easier for both sales and customer success teams.
Step 1: Get Real About What You Need (and What You Don’t)
Before you dive into Point-of-reference or any tool, figure out what you actually want out of a reference database. Don’t fall for the trap of building a “feature-rich” monster that’s impossible to maintain.
The basics you actually need: - Customer company info (industry, size, location) - Contact(s) willing to be a reference, with notes on their preferred method (call, email, case study) - Which products/services they use - What kinds of reference activities they’re open to (calls, site visits, quotes) - History—when they’ve been used, by whom, for what deal
What to skip (unless you have a real reason): - Overly detailed customer profiles nobody updates - Fancy scoring algorithms for “reference readiness” - Tons of custom tags nobody can remember to use
Pro tip: Start simple. You can always add fields later if you find yourself actually needing them.
Step 2: Set Up Point-of-reference for Your Team
Point-of-reference is built specifically for this job, so you’re not fighting against the tool. Here’s how to get it working for you:
1. Import Your Existing Data
- Export what you have from CRM, spreadsheets, or wherever. Don’t worry about cleaning it up yet—just get it out.
- Use Point-of-reference’s import tool to pull in your data. Most folks have some cleaning up to do, so expect to spend a little time fixing duplicates or missing info.
- Set up the core fields you decided on in Step 1. Resist the urge to make every field required—some info is better than none.
2. Define User Roles and Access
- Decide who gets to add/edit reference entries (usually customer success or a specific reference program manager).
- Give sales read-only access, so they can search and request references but not accidentally mess up records.
- Make it dead simple for people to flag outdated contacts or opt folks out if they’re getting burned out.
3. Customize Reference Request Workflows
- Set up a basic request form for sales: who’s the prospect, what do they need, what’s the timeline?
- Build a system for tracking each request—who’s handling it, which customer was contacted, and whether it went through.
- Keep the workflow as lightweight as possible. If the process is too slow or confusing, sales will just go around it.
Watch out for:
Overcomplicating approvals. If every request has to go through three layers of management, you’ll be back to chasing references in Slack DMs.
Step 3: Populate and Maintain Your Database
Getting the initial set of references in is just step one. The real challenge is keeping it fresh and useful.
1. Invite and Qualify New References
- Work with customer success to identify customers who are happy and (critically) actually willing to be references.
- Don’t add someone as a reference until you’ve gotten explicit buy-in. Nothing tanks goodwill like a surprise sales call.
- For each new reference, note their preferred level of involvement. Some folks love to talk; others are only up for a quick email quote.
2. Keep Information Up to Date
- Set up periodic reminders (quarterly works for most teams) to check in with reference contacts—are they still at the company? Still happy?
- Use Point-of-reference’s reporting to spot overused references. Rotate in new ones before your “champion” burns out.
- Make it easy for anyone to flag outdated or incorrect info.
What doesn’t work:
Assuming people will update things on their own. Assign someone (even if it’s just a few hours a month) to keep the database tidy.
Step 4: Make the Database Actually Useful for Sales
A database nobody uses is just a fancy graveyard for stale data. Make sure sales can actually find what they need, fast.
1. Train Sales on How to Use It
- Give a short walkthrough—5-10 minutes tops—on how to search for references and request them.
- Make it clear what info sales should provide in a request. The more context (industry, deal size, pain points), the better the match.
2. Build Shortcuts for Common Scenarios
- Save searches for your most common reference types (e.g., “mid-market SaaS customers in fintech”).
- Point-of-reference lets you set up templates—use these for requests and for customer outreach.
3. Track Results and Make Adjustments
- Use built-in reporting to see which references get used, and which sit idle.
- Ask sales what’s working and what’s not. If they’re still going off-book, the process probably needs tweaking.
Ignore:
Overly complex dashboards or KPIs. The only metric that matters is: Are good references available when you need them?
Step 5: Respect Your References (or Lose Them)
This shouldn’t need saying, but here we are: treat your reference customers like the VIPs they are.
- Don’t hit them up every week. Rotate your asks, and always check their availability first.
- Thank them after every reference call or activity. Small gestures—a handwritten note, a LinkedIn shoutout, or even a simple email—go a long way.
- Keep them in the loop. If their reference helped close a deal, let them know (and maybe send some swag).
Pro tip: Build goodwill by offering value back—early access to features, invites to customer councils, or sharing success stories.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
Works: - Keeping your process simple and visible - Regular check-ins and updates - Letting sales search and request references themselves
Doesn’t Work: - Hoarding references with one gatekeeper - Treating reference contacts like an infinite resource - Overengineering your database with fields nobody uses
Ignore: - Fancy scoring or predictive “reference readiness” unless you’re at massive scale - Integration with every single tool in your stack—start with the basics
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
A good customer reference database doesn’t have to be complicated. Use Point-of-reference to centralize what matters, make it easy for sales to find what they need, and, above all, treat your references with respect. Start small, get it working, and tweak as you learn. You’ll save your team headaches—and maybe even close a few more deals.