Check the comparison base
Customers should be similar in characteristics relevant to the purchase. A shared industry may be insufficient when product use, scale or business models differ.
The period matters too. A new customer's short history is not equivalent to a full year with another account. Seasons and exceptional orders can also distort the result.
Missing purchases have different explanations
A customer may not need the category, buy it on another cycle or use an alternative solution. The data may also be incomplete: a branch's purchases could sit under a separate account.
A benchmark should therefore trigger investigation rather than replace customer knowledge. A short note stating what is known and what requires clarification is useful.
Use the result to plan a conversation
Instead of expecting identical baskets from every business, select one justified difference to discuss. Record whether a genuine need emerged and what should happen next.
For a sales manager, the quality of that conclusion matters more than the number of gaps detected. CRM connects segment comparisons with contact history so analysis can be checked against the actual relationship.