As good businessmen, customer profile matters a lot to us. Trying to acquire more and more customers is important. However, getting the right kind of customer is equally important. It makes very little sense if your marketing efforts and precious time is spent behind asinine errands which offer little to nothing in return. Marketing efforts are intended to not only find the right customers but also making sure a fruitful business relationship is established.
Customer profiling is creating your own database of basic information about existing customers, potential ones as well as generated leads. Typically, a customer profile includes information such as their name, company name (if any), age, address of billing etc. You can also add information such as their spending habits (if they disclose) if it suits for interests. Anything that isn’t invading into their privacy is good data to create a customer profile
So how does a businessman create the ideal customer profile? That is a question to which there is no definite answer. However, you can narrow down your search by asking some useful questions. These questions will help you weed out less fruitful people to help your business grow. Let us dive into these questions:
- What is my best product?
At times, we have more than one product or service(s) to offer. As we try to look for customers, it becomes imperative that we zero down on what we want to sell. Once the thing to sell is finalised, we can begin looking for customers who will take it from us. When leads start pouring in, we can then focus on those ones first that stand a chance to give us the most business.
- Is my product solving a problem?
There is a philosophy that revolves around the concept of solutions. People don’t purchase a product or a service. They purchase a solution to their problems. If your customers think you can offer a solution to a problem they face, they will come to you.
If you already have a database in the making, you can try to answer that question for every customer. Once you know what product or service you can provide to your customers, you can make tweaks to your venture accordingly.
- How much money will my customers pay?
The key to running a successful business is the profit your services can bring. Profits are how we take care of our families and expand our business. Naturally, the more business you can derive from a customer, the better the customer profile. Ask yourself how much can you transact with a particular customer? If the figures are satisfactory, spending time and resources behind such a customer can be good.
- What marketing efforts have been effective?
Your marketing strategies also impact customer profiles. Giveaway campaigns, competitions bring in a large number of leads. You may then sort your customers according to the response you received when you made those campaigns
- What type of customers does my business attract?
Now, this is a major factor to determine your ideal customer profile. If your business primarily caters to other businessmen, a marketing strategy that reaches housewives may not be the best idea. Or if your business sells toys and games, young parents are your ideal customer. A good businessman would take a look at the kind of customers his business is getting the highest response from.
- How accessible am I to my customers and vice-versa?
Customers like to call or text to find out if they can get what they want in advance. If they can, they will likely visit you. Another factor pointing towards an ideal customer is if they have your contact with them and if they consider you approachable. A customer that believes in the quality of your venture is, of course, a great customer for you.
- Can my leads/clients/customers refer me to more people?
If your customer trusts your work, they would also not hesitate to let others know. Mouth to mouth publicity is the best form of publicity. A customer satisfied with what you provide, who would recommend you to other potential customers is without a doubt an excellent customer as it is. If they also look positive with respect to other questions, then that customer’s profile seems ideal.
Conclusion
Building your customers’ profiles is very good for the health of your business. It gives you an idea of where your focus is and if it matches with your goals. Also, if your ideal customers’ list seems short, you can gain important insights into the determination of the steps you need to take going forward. You can also review your customer profile data to check if your marketing efforts are making sense. Asking yourselves these seven questions while making your own personalized customer database would aid you in improving your business.
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