Most companies prioritize customers based on past revenue, using pyramid segmentation—A, B, and C customers. This method looks backward, rewarding historical performance instead of identifying future growth potential.

AI is changing that. It helps companies find small accounts with massive potential that no one is currently focused on.

Sales and RevOps teams need a new approach for identifying customer value, one that looks ahead rather than relying solely on past performance.

HOW TRADITIONAL SEGMENTATION FAILS

Traditional segmentation divides customers into three categories:

• A-customers: Highest revenue, get the most attention.
• B-customers: Mid-tier, sometimes nurtured.
• C-customers: Small accounts, often ignored.

This approach assumes past revenue equals future revenue, but that’s flawed.

For example, a small account today may be in a growth phase. If ignored, it could quickly outgrow its current provider and go elsewhere.

As Toni Keskinen, 180ops co-founder and CPO, says:

“Most companies don’t even have someone responsible for small accounts with high future potential. It’s a blind spot no one is managing.”

Traditional segmentation fails to identify accounts with future value. AI can solve that by spotting signals others miss.

HOW AI IDENTIFIES FUTURE HIGH-VALUE ACCOUNTS

AI doesn’t just track past sales—it looks at what could happen next. It analyzes data that reveals future growth potential.

McKinsey research found that 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when it doesn’t happen. That means leveraging AI for personalized customer engagement is a priority for the people engaging with your organization, which means it has to be for you, too. 

AI has the power to take factors like these into account, which will allow for that more personalized interaction: 

• Industry trends: If a sector is expanding, small accounts in that sector may soon increase spending.
• Hiring patterns: Growth-stage companies often signal a future need for more products or services.
• Buying signals: Small purchases, like trial orders, may indicate readiness to spend more.
• Market shifts: Changes in the competitive landscape can create new opportunities for smaller accounts.

As Toni puts it:

“It’s not just about knowing which customers spend the most—it’s about knowing which should be spending the most with you.”

Watch this clip from the Disambiguation podcast with Michael Fauscette, as he and Toni discuss the flaws of traditional segmentation and why companies aren’t able to manage small accounts with big potential. It’s a key insight into the shift we're advocating for--allowing technology to cover your bind spots:

TURNING INSIGHTS INTO ACTION: RETHINKING CUSTOMER STRATEGY

Companies need to rethink their customer strategy. Instead of focusing on account size, prioritize account potential—those showing growth signals, even if they’re small today.

Key steps to take in making insights from data actually help with the actions you need to take include:

• Shift from account size to account potential. Stop focusing only on A-customers and start nurturing small, high-potential accounts.
• Assign responsibility for hidden value: Ensure someone is focused on overlooked accounts with growth potential.
• Prioritize based on data: Use AI insights to guide strategy rather than relying on outdated historical data.

For instance, 180ops helps companies map current value against future value, allowing them to prioritize accounts that are on the rise. Let’s take a look at how that can help you. 

WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW CUSTOMERS’ LIFETIME VALUE

Customer Lifetime Value represents the total revenue a business can reasonably expect from a single customer account throughout the business relationship. This metric considers a customer's revenue value and compares that number to the company's predicted customer lifespan. Businesses use this metric to identify significant customer segments that are the most profitable over time.

Toni breaks it down like this: 

"Customer lifetime value is a combination of the length of the relationship and the annual revenue per account. It's a crucial metric for understanding the long-term profitability of customer relationships.” 

The real driver of CLV is offering penetration—the extent to which a customer utilizes a company’s offerings. The more deeply a customer engages with a product, the greater the potential for sustained revenue and a higher CLV.

This is shown in a clear, easy-to-understand format in the 180ops offering overview feature:

To maximize CLV, businesses need to move beyond surface-level transactions and deeply integrate their products into customers’ operations. This requires a strategic approach, understanding how the company’s offerings align with customer value chains across procurement, operations, and distribution. By focusing on increasing offering penetration over time, companies can unlock higher revenue per account, ensuring more consistent and longer-lasting customer relationships.

Toni also emphasizes the importance of identifying where the monetary value is within your customer base: 

“The potential in individual companies is highly different. You need to see where the money is and then start acting accordingly.” 

This targeted approach, rather than a broad sales push, allows businesses to increase CLV by serving customers’ specific needs in a meaningful and sustained way.

CONCLUSION

To stay competitive, businesses need to focus on the future potential of their customers, not just past revenue. Traditional segmentation leaves valuable opportunities on the table by ignoring smaller accounts with high growth potential. By using AI to analyze signals of future growth, companies can better allocate their resources and attention to accounts that are poised for success.

The key is to prioritize data-driven insights over outdated models, ensuring your strategy targets customers who will drive long-term value. This shift is the next step in creating a more effective, sustainable approach to customer engagement.