First Step Marketing

Undoubtedly, the type of business you start will determine the people who will become customers. The first step to reaching customers is to draw up a profile of the kind of client you’d like to attract.

Defining your customer means you can then narrow down your choice of the marketing methods you use.

Your answers to the following questions will help you to define the ideal client or customer for your business

Self-Assessment Quiz

1. When you close your eyes to imagine, who is the most likely type of customer that you can see walking through your door?
2. Where does this person live, and what kind of business does he or she work in?
3. What is your customer’s income range?
4. What kind of shops does he or she frequent?
5. Which magazines does this person read?
6. Why will he or she become a customer in the first place?
7. What do you need to do to keep this customer coming back?

Let’s say you want to start a day spa. The primary market for your business will probably consist of upper-middle-class women who are 25 to 55 years old. This information will help you to (a) determine the publications this market reads to help you decide where to advertise; (b) decide the months when you should advertise (spring fills some women with anxiety about the upcoming beach season); and (c) establish the particular services to promote in the ads, from waxing to anti- aging facials.

You should do as much research as possible in order to know your customers inside out, because every bit of information you gather about a potential market can then be used as a tool to find them.

Contrary to popular opinion, the customer is not always right. There are some customers out there who are purposely nothing but trouble, while others will always want to get something for nothing. Smart business owners catch on after a couple of experiences reveal that certain people will never be satisfied no matter how much a company does for them. If you know you’re providing a high- quality product or service and other customers are happy and keep coming back, take it as a clear sign to cut your losses and politely inform the troublesome customer that you choose not to do business with him any longer. Life is short: pursue the vast majority of customers who have had good experiences with your business…

It’s also important to realize that no matter how much marketing you do, it’s impossible for any one business to reach every person who is a prospective customer for its product or service. Think about it: your message is only one of thousands they see and hear every day. Consider what catches your eye in an ad or brochure, and then use these techniques to attract the customers who are best for your business.

Once your business is up and running and new customers are walking in your door every day, tap their expertise to further help you to define your overall customer base. Keep detailed records of each customer’s individual preferences, and be sure to ask them how you can help them.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Small Business Reaching Customer

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 am and is filed under Advertising. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.