Glossary · Sales and customers
What is the customer lifecycle?
The customer lifecycle is the sequence of stages a person goes through with a company, from prospect to loyal customer and sometimes to lost. The stage decides which conversation comes next. A sales funnel follows one deal, while the lifecycle follows the whole relationship.
Last updated: · Author: Şevket Erer, Co-founder, AI Specialist
What is the customer lifecycle for?
The same message does not suit everyone. A first-time enquirer needs an introduction; a long-standing buyer needs a renewal reminder. Because the lifecycle shows the current stage on the record, the team picks the right conversation. Moves between stages are tracked too. They show which prospects became customers, who bought again, and who has gone quiet for a long time. A customer drifting away gets noticed before they are lost.
What are the lifecycle stages?
The customer lifecycle splits a company's relationship with the business into stages. A prospect has shown interest but has not bought yet; in the contact and opportunity stage a concrete deal is discussed and a quote prepared. The first sale starts the customer stage; one who buys again or renews moves to the loyal stage, and one who has not bought for a long time counts as inactive or lost.
- Prospect
A person or company that knows the business and has shown interest but has not bought yet.
- Contact and opportunity
Conversations start, a concrete deal is discussed, and a quote is prepared.
- Customer
The first sale is made. Delivery, setup, and first use happen at this stage.
- Loyal customer
Someone who buys again, renews, or recommends the company to others.
- Inactive or lost
Someone who has not bought for a long time or has said they are leaving. If the reason is recorded, a win-back attempt can be planned.
An example
Picture a food wholesaler supplying a network of shops. When a new shop gets in touch for the first time, the record is at the prospect stage. After the first order it moves to the customer stage, and the team checks whether the first delivery arrived on time. Once the shop orders regularly it moves to the loyal stage and receives the promotions calendar. If a shop has not ordered for a few weeks, the record lands in front of the sales rep, who calls.
How it looks in Corex360
In Corex360 CRM, the lifecycle line sits at the top of the customer card and shows the Prospect, In contact, Opportunity, Customer, and Loyal customer stages, with the current stage marked. The relationship score and assigned reps appear in the same area. Which records make up the score is shown in the demo.
Terms often confused with it
| Sales funnel | A funnel tracks the stages of one deal; the lifecycle tracks the whole relationship. A loyal customer's new deal can still start at the first stage of the funnel. |
|---|---|
| Customer card | The customer card is the record that holds everything about a customer. The lifecycle stage is one of the things shown on that card. |
Related terms: Sales funnel, Customer card
FAQ
Who changes the customer lifecycle stage?
It depends on the software and the rules. Some moves can be tied to an event, such as the first sale being recorded. Others are the sales rep's call, such as marking a record as loyal or lost.
Is the customer lifecycle only for marketing?
No. Sales reads from it what to discuss with whom, support reads whom to prioritise, and management reads which relationships are being lost.
How many stages should a customer lifecycle have?
Stages come from the company's real relationship steps. If customers at a stage are not treated any differently, the stage is not needed.
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