Blog · Wallet share and penetration
A rep has a gap list that says a customer spends a third of what similar customers do on a line. What they say in the room decides whether the number helps or offends. This guide sets out what the gap is evidence of and what it is not, the framing that works, similar customers, their basket, the customer's own trend, the questions the rep asks before proposing anything, the data the rep should never show, and three worked conversations.
The gap list says customer 4471 buys a third of what similar customers buy on line B. That is true, and it is not a thing to say to customer 4471. This guide sets out what the gap is and is not, the framing that turns it into a conversation, the questions, the data that stays in the car, and three worked exchanges.
| The gap is | The gap is not |
|---|---|
| Evidence that similar customers buy this | Evidence that this customer should |
| A reason to ask a question | A number to show as a target |
| The rep's preparation | The customer's scorecard |
| A median across a group | A comparison to a named peer |
Customers of your kind and size usually buy line B from us, and you do not. Is there a reason?
Three parts: the norm as a fact about a group, the observation as a fact about them, and the question. The customer answers, and either answer is useful.
The proposal comes after the answers, or not at all.
The reason the norm does not apply.
Rep: Kitchens serving your menu at your covers usually take dairy from us, and you don't. Is there a reason? Customer: We're on a supply deal with a dairy co-op through the owner's family. Outcome: A cannot-buy flag on the cell with the reason. The gap list is shorter and truer.
The returning line.
Rep: You used to take line B from us and stopped last autumn. Was there a problem? Customer: Three late deliveries in a row. We switched. Rep: That was our depot move; it's resolved. Would you try a month? Outcome: A trial order. The returning-line cell was the easiest recovery on the list.
The opening.
Rep: Manufacturers of your size usually run treasury products with us alongside the facility, and you don't. Is that handled elsewhere? Customer: It's with our previous bank. Nobody's asked. Outcome: A meeting with treasury. The gap was nobody asking.
The gap shown as a target. The customer hears a quota.
A named peer. Confidence breached.
Proposal before questions. The rep pitches a line the customer has a reason not to buy.
The answer not recorded. The same gap comes back next month.
Covirage produces the gap list with the norm and the returning-line flag, and takes the customer's answer back as a cannot-buy flag or a master attribute. The whitespace analysis guide covers where the list comes from, and the one-page account plan guide covers the page the rep prepares from.
The norm, yes: customers like you typically buy this line at around this level. The customer's own gap figure, usually not; it reads as a target the rep has set for them. The number is for the rep's preparation; the conversation is about the customer's situation.
Then the rep has learned why, which is the point. The reason goes back into the data: a cannot-buy flag on the cell, or a segment attribute the master was missing. The gap list gets better, and the customer was heard.
Another customer's name, figure or identity in any form. The norm is a median across a group, never an example. A rep who says a named competitor of the customer buys this line has breached confidence and lost the room.