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Casual Articles - How to Build A Steady Stream of Customers--Step One
Becoming a pharmacist may be easier than you think. It only takes two years of study but you must commit to this profession. To become a pharmacist, you must get a license to practice pharmacy. This license is required in all the states even including the District of Columbia. To get a license to practice pharmacy you must graduate from an accredited college or pharmacy, and also pass a state examination where you practice. You also must internship under a licensed pharmacist. After graduating, you have the choice to continue three or four years of medical school, which offers the option of minoring in Chemistry or majoring in Biology. He
Buying motivations
- What problem do they want solved
- What benefits do they want from you
- What features are they looking from your product
- What do they like and dislike about your industry
- What special circumstances must be present for them to buy from you
- What guarantee do they need from you
Follow up services
- What do they want from you after the sale
- What do they expect from the relationship to remain loyalty to your business
To help obtain the answers to these questions, think about your last ten customers, or ten of your best customers. If you want to add
Thousands of companies over the years have wasted money on printing leaflets and flyers, only to find that most of them end up being thrown away, or put in a kitchen drawer never to be seen again. Let’s be honest, we all have a drawer in the house somewhere that is full of old takeaway menus! However, the good news is that times are changing. Many businesses are waking up to the idea that magnetic advertising, in all its different guises, is the only way to go.When one considers that the average fridge door is opened approximately 30 times per day, it is then easy to see why fridge magnets are considered to be so effective. To illu
Target Your Customers---The Key to Your Success
The heart of every small business is getting a steady stream of good customers. Other things can be less than perfect with your business, but without a steady stream of good customers, your business will eventually die.
If you worry about getting more customers to your business, you are not alone. The stress and worry of getting enough good customers is the number one reason small business owners lose sleep. (As a small business owner, you already feel this!)
The surest way to move your business to the next level is to focus on “who” is your customer. Who is going to open their wallets to buy your product or services?
I know you have heard this before and you may even be tempted to stop reading this article. Do not stop!
If you make a mistake about your target population or if you don’t fully understand the critical details about your target population, you are building your business on sand. No amount of product quality; no amount of customer service; no amount of sale skills can overcome the wrong target population for your business. They will not buy because they are the wrong customers.
If you need more evidence, look at large corporations. They spend millions of dollars doing market research, creating focus groups, testing their markets and profiling potential customers. They do this before they begin doing product development or before they roll out a new product or service. They are successful because they understand and know their target customers.
Lack of Money and Time!
If you have at least read this far, I want to tell you there are solutions to the critical area of your target customers. The solutions don’t involve the type of money or time the large corporations spend on market research. Time and money are precious resources to the small business owner.
The following is an easy and fun exercise you can use to get a better understanding of the right customers for your business. Complete the exercise. Then each week for a month review and add more details to your results. Then review your results the first day of each of the month to confirm they are still valid.
This will not require a lot of time. It will not require any money. It will require you to put on your thinking cap and be creative. The reward will be a stronger foundation for your future business.
Profiling Exercise
You have heard about racial profiling, criminal profiling, and terrorist profiling. I want you to have some fun and create a customer profile for your business. If you were an FBI agent, how would you profile the typical customer that fits your business? Here are some of the characteristics you must include in your profile:
Demographics
- Age, sex, location, homeowner, etc
Buying habits
- How many are there
- Where do they shop
- How do they shop
- When do they shop
Buying motivations
- What problem do they want solved
- What benefits do they want from you
- What features are they looking from your product
- What do they like and dislike about your industry
- What special circumstances must be present for them to buy from you
- What guarantee do they need from you
Follow up services
- What do they want from you after the sale
- What do they expect from the relationship to remain loyalty to your business
To help obtain the answers to these questions, think about your last ten customers, or ten of your best customers. If you want to add
Branding is an important part of the way your company is represented. Bringing together a name, logo, and other essential information to create a recognizable brand is no easy task, but it is a crucial aspect of getting your business noticed and remembered.Consider the potential for company branding on the average desktop—pens and coffee mugs will immediately spring to mind, of course. These two items are perhaps the most well-known and widely-used desktop promotional items. The printed mouse mat, while not as commonly used for promotional merchandising, is an increasingly popular desktop promotional item. Computers are now an esse
The surest way to move your business to the next level is to focus on “who” is your customer. Who is going to open their wallets to buy your product or services?
I know you have heard this before and you may even be tempted to stop reading this article. Do not stop!
If you make a mistake about your target population or if you don’t fully understand the critical details about your target population, you are building your business on sand. No amount of product quality; no amount of customer service; no amount of sale skills can overcome the wrong target population for your business. They will not buy because they are the wrong customers.
If you need more evidence, look at large corporations. They spend millions of dollars doing market research, creating focus groups, testing their markets and profiling potential customers. They do this before they begin doing product development or before they roll out a new product or service. They are successful because they understand and know their target customers.
Lack of Money and Time!
If you have at least read this far, I want to tell you there are solutions to the critical area of your target customers. The solutions don’t involve the type of money or time the large corporations spend on market research. Time and money are precious resources to the small business owner.
The following is an easy and fun exercise you can use to get a better understanding of the right customers for your business. Complete the exercise. Then each week for a month review and add more details to your results. Then review your results the first day of each of the month to confirm they are still valid.
This will not require a lot of time. It will not require any money. It will require you to put on your thinking cap and be creative. The reward will be a stronger foundation for your future business.
Profiling Exercise
You have heard about racial profiling, criminal profiling, and terrorist profiling. I want you to have some fun and create a customer profile for your business. If you were an FBI agent, how would you profile the typical customer that fits your business? Here are some of the characteristics you must include in your profile:
Demographics
- Age, sex, location, homeowner, etc
Buying habits
- How many are there
- Where do they shop
- How do they shop
- When do they shop
Buying motivations
- What problem do they want solved
- What benefits do they want from you
- What features are they looking from your product
- What do they like and dislike about your industry
- What special circumstances must be present for them to buy from you
- What guarantee do they need from you
Follow up services
- What do they want from you after the sale
- What do they expect from the relationship to remain loyalty to your business
To help obtain the answers to these questions, think about your last ten customers, or ten of your best customers. If you want to add
Real estate prices have sky rocketed in recent years all over the country, and in most states the average home price is higher than the median income in some areas. Every buyer wants to find affordable real estate, whether it is a new or used home, a foreclosed property, or an estate being sold through probate. No one wants to be house poor, which is why now more than ever, there is a great demand for properties that won’t break the bank for the buyers. Interest rates are higher now than last summer for instance, which is also a contributing factor facing sellers and buyers alike.Higher interest rates raise the total amount of the
Lack of Money and Time!
If you have at least read this far, I want to tell you there are solutions to the critical area of your target customers. The solutions don’t involve the type of money or time the large corporations spend on market research. Time and money are precious resources to the small business owner.
The following is an easy and fun exercise you can use to get a better understanding of the right customers for your business. Complete the exercise. Then each week for a month review and add more details to your results. Then review your results the first day of each of the month to confirm they are still valid.
This will not require a lot of time. It will not require any money. It will require you to put on your thinking cap and be creative. The reward will be a stronger foundation for your future business.
Profiling Exercise
You have heard about racial profiling, criminal profiling, and terrorist profiling. I want you to have some fun and create a customer profile for your business. If you were an FBI agent, how would you profile the typical customer that fits your business? Here are some of the characteristics you must include in your profile:
Demographics
- Age, sex, location, homeowner, etc
Buying habits
- How many are there
- Where do they shop
- How do they shop
- When do they shop
Buying motivations
- What problem do they want solved
- What benefits do they want from you
- What features are they looking from your product
- What do they like and dislike about your industry
- What special circumstances must be present for them to buy from you
- What guarantee do they need from you
Follow up services
- What do they want from you after the sale
- What do they expect from the relationship to remain loyalty to your business
To help obtain the answers to these questions, think about your last ten customers, or ten of your best customers. If you want to add
Marketing is not rocket science. Anyone can do it and within any budget, even zero dollars. Marketing successfully, however, and maximizing your efforts, does require a certain amount of knowledge, research, planning and preparation. Marketing in the dark (without doing your homework) is both foolish and costly. Many entrepreneurs and small business owners have a minimal, if any, marketing budget. Choosing the right marketing strategies, form and placement is essential for both short- and long-term success.Knowing how and where to market is only part of the equation. It must be combined with a clear understanding of why you are mar
This will not require a lot of time. It will not require any money. It will require you to put on your thinking cap and be creative. The reward will be a stronger foundation for your future business.
Profiling Exercise
You have heard about racial profiling, criminal profiling, and terrorist profiling. I want you to have some fun and create a customer profile for your business. If you were an FBI agent, how would you profile the typical customer that fits your business? Here are some of the characteristics you must include in your profile:
Demographics
- Age, sex, location, homeowner, etc
Buying habits
- How many are there
- Where do they shop
- How do they shop
- When do they shop
Buying motivations
- What problem do they want solved
- What benefits do they want from you
- What features are they looking from your product
- What do they like and dislike about your industry
- What special circumstances must be present for them to buy from you
- What guarantee do they need from you
Follow up services
- What do they want from you after the sale
- What do they expect from the relationship to remain loyalty to your business
To help obtain the answers to these questions, think about your last ten customers, or ten of your best customers. If you want to add
Other than actually landing the interview itself and living through it, waiting after the interview and wondering whether you will get a phone call or a rejection letter can be one of the most difficult aspects of searching for a job. What you do after the interview should actually start while you are still ‘working’ the interview.Prior to leaving make sure that you have noted the name of the person or persons who interviewed you. This will come in handy later for a number of purposes. Also, do make sure that you shake hands once again with your interviewer and thank them for taking the time to meet with you. Also, it’s not out of
Buying motivations
- What problem do they want solved
- What benefits do they want from you
- What features are they looking from your product
- What do they like and dislike about your industry
- What special circumstances must be present for them to buy from you
- What guarantee do they need from you
Follow up services
- What do they want from you after the sale
- What do they expect from the relationship to remain loyalty to your business
To help obtain the answers to these questions, think about your last ten customers, or ten of your best customers. If you want to add real depth to your answers, call up five of your best customers and ask them the question directly. Tell them you are trying to improve your business and you need their help. Give them some small token of your appreciation for helping you with this task. Let them help shape your business! They will be honored that you asked for their help.
If you have other employees or sales persons in your business, ask them to complete the same exercise and put together a profile of your typical customer.
There are level and levels of details to these profiling questions. That is why you periodically need to come back to the same questions and add more details.
Conclusion
To move your business forward, you must have a through knowledge of your buying customers. Completing the profiling exercise of your best typical customer is a fun and easy way to establish a solid foundation for the next stage of your business. For a longer, free report on targeting your customers, send an email to al@hanzal.com with the subject “Free Report on Targeting Your Customers.”
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