You are a small business owner who has been asked to define your ideal customer by your new marketing provider. You either “know it” off the top of your head or suddenly stop and have a mild panic attach. “Dang” you think. I just wanted more customers. I didn’t think of there being an ideal one.
Maybe you had that last thought because most of your customers pay the same amount so it is hard to distinguish.
But the reality is, even customers paying a flat monthly fee have costs that can vary wildly.
Define your ideal customer with the following principles:
- Which customer profile is the least expensive to get?
- Which customer type stays with you the longest?
- What customer is the most scalable?
- Which customer demographic(s) complains the least and thus use(s) the least resources?
- Which customer is most likely to refer other business?
- Which customer helps make your business better because they provide ongoing, valuable feedback?
- Does one customer hold you or your staff hostage because they are not a good fit and always have questions?
- Which customer pays the most with the least headaches?
Notice the bold last bullet point? Think about your actual top 5 favorite customers and I bet they all fit that description.
If the last bullet point fits the description, the odds are they have severalof the qualities above. Now imagine if all your customers were like that? The next step is figuring out how to target and keep them but that will be discussed in a different post.
For now, remember, your ideal customer is the one that pays the most and produces the least amount of headaches in relation to the revenue they are generating.
For further assistance on defining or targeting your ideal customer, contact us today!