Knowing Your Customers

Do you …

You’re in business and therefore everything you do revolves around your customers – right?

Do you know who your customers are and what makes them tick?

Do you know how to solve all their business needs?

Do you constantly think about how you can solve their problems in the fastest most efficient way?

Do you constantly try to think of how you can add extra value to your relationship with them?

Do you think about them all the time?

Successful business are customer centric – urgh! Sorry, I hate that term. It’s just another fancy way of saying your customers are the key to your business. If you don’t put their needs first, they won’t stay customers for long.

But are they your only focus or do you get caught out sometimes when your competitors launch a new product or service? What do you do then?

Follow my leader marketing

Every business keeps one eye focused on what their marketplace is doing. You want to know every move your competitors make. But should you mirror their every move?

I am a freelance copywriter and there are a lot of us out there. Do we all offer the same service?

No.

Yes, we all write, but not necessarily the same type of copy. Some may specialise in web copy, some in reports, some in specific industries, and some (like me) provide copywriting services across the board (any industry any format, and very well even though I do say so myself).

You see we have tailored our services to the needs of our clients – we are giving them what they want.

The danger of follow my leader marketing (i.e. doing whatever your competitors do) is that it may not be what your clients need.

Your competitors are tailoring their services for their clients. But their customers are different to yours.

Be an individual

Of course that doesn’t mean to say you should ignore everything your competitors do.

If they come up with a service you haven’t thought of and you think it may be of interest to your customers, ask them. That is the best way of finding out whether it will work. If you send out a regular newsletter, use that to survey them.

They will be happy to help. Wouldn’t you rather deal with a business that asks your opinion on things rather than imposing things on you? Wouldn’t you be happy to help tailor a service so that it matches your needs precisely?

Exactly, and so will they.

Why do you need to know this?

The only thing that is keeping your business going is your customers. They must always been in the forefront of your mind. You should think about them constantly.

By keeping them at the heart of everything you do will lead to improved service and very happy customers.