3rd Day of Christmas

Know Your Customer

Yesterday, I asked you to think about the emotional satisfaction that you provide to your customers. That exercise unearthed the roots of your corporate perspective. Today it’s not about you; it’s about me—your customer.

Industry jargon calls it customer profiling. A detailed customer profile will give you a deeper understanding of the emotional response behind your customer’s decision to buy from you. Knowing this gives you the ability to effectively influence him or her.

Today’s gift is a date with your best customer. I want you to get to know him or her so well that you are ready to propose marriage. If you are squirming uncomfortably with all this talk about emotions and relationships, then maybe you need to rethink being a small businessperson. People give you money not just because of your product or skills but because they believe and trust in you and by extension your company.

Put a face and name to your ideal customer. Gather all the basic statistics such as age, marital status, financial position, life style, and so on. Really take the time to flesh them out. Start by examining your current best customers. Who are they? What do they have in common?

No one has one type of customer just as no one has one type of relationship in his or her life. Find out who is your lover, who is your Aunt Betty, and who is the guy you only know well enough to nod hello to in your neighborhood. Each relationship is important in its own way. Some companies go so far as to create large cutouts of their various customer types because it helps them stay focused on them.

The next step is to find out what motivates each to do business with you. This is a vital step because you don’t talk to your lover the same way you talk to Aunt Betty… do you?