Ideal Customers - What Do They Look Like?
by: Kerri Salls
It's such an easy question to ask: "Who's your ideal customer?" And it can be so challenging to answer! After a presentation I gave last night, one of the attendees approached me to say she had two ideal niches she loves to work in and yet because she wants both, she's struggling to reach either one. I'm not surprised.
My point is that not all customers are created equal. You must research and identify who is the right customer for you. If you are lucky, they'll find you. Being a little more realistic and responsible, you have to actively seek them out. When you find them or reach them you must:
* identify the problem they have that you can solve, and
* sell them on your solution.
Before you determine your ideal client you must assess all possible clients in the broader niche you are in. Some prospective clients will be too expensive to serve. Some will be too expensive to sell. Some will never be satisfied. Then again, some others will be ideal clients.
So what will an ideal client look like? One or more of the following must be true:
- They find your product/service offering to be valuable.
- You offer a solution to at least one of their important problems.
- You create opportunity for them.
- Purchasing from you is a good investment for them.
Do you know who these customers are? Without them your business plan has no validity. Without them your marketing strategy will fall flat. Without them your vision of success is like a hot-air balloon that runs out of gas before it catches a thermal current to help it soar.
To sell well you must know your target market. Know what they want and what they need. If you don't know, or you aren't sure, find out.
Concurrently check in with your own business vision and mission. Why? Because, if you pick an ideal customer niche and you sign up to deliver a solution to their problem it had better be:
* something you are passionate about
* something you can be the best in the world at
* something extremely profitable for you
About The Author:
Kerri Salls, MBA runs a virtual business school to train, consult and coach small business CEO's and entrepreneurs in 10 key strategies to make more profit in less time. Learn more at http://www.breakthrough-business-school.com/products.html or sign up for a free weekly newsletter at http://www.breakthrough-business-school.com/newsletter.shtml.
March 2006
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