Abstract
Identifying the right business model for addressing global customers and formalizing that model into a global customer management program is a key task for any firm with global aspirations. The key success factor is embedding the program firmly within the firm's corporate strategy. Simply leveraging domestic or regional account management into such a program will not deliver the desired results. Based on extensive research with a global company database, this article presents a framework for successfully introducing a global customer management program. It describes evolutionary stages and explains the challenges companies face. Finally, it identifies specific strategies and key principles for firms to master the transition to becoming truly customer centric on a global basis and thus generate substantial shareholder value.