A- A+

Things to Know About Finding Your Sweet Spot Customer

November 28, 2017

If you want to target your ideal customer you need to understand who they are. The ability to find a customer should be the central focus in growing your business. To grow you need to know your customer intimately. 

The Ideal Customer

So how do you know who your ideal customer is? The overlap of identifying customer interests and combining it with your expertise creates your “sweet spot” of service or product that serves the needs of that customer. In other words, your ideal customer is someone who gets their exact needs met by what you’re offering. Someone who benefits from your product or service.

Find Your Sweet Spot Customer

Describe Your Product or Service From Your Customer’s Perspective. 

You need to know your business from your customer’s perspective. How does your product or service solve problems for your customer? How does it improve your customer’s life? Why should people buy from you instead of your competitors? What makes you different? Remember that “one size fits all” is not the direction you should take to be successful. Define your unique value proposition and communicate this every opportunity that is  available.

Segment Your Customers Into Groupings to Identify the Ideal Customer and Their Interests

Do the research and get to know your customers inside and out. Gathering this knowledge allows you to create customer profiles. Interviewing existing customers can help you understand what they love about you and what they don’t like. 

Creating specific customer profiles can help you stay focused on marketing to customers that fit your expertise the best resulting in improved operational performance. 

First, determine which customers represent your largest profit. 

Secondly, which customers really like you and are champions for your business? Look at these Champions and determine what they have in common. 

Professional Champions

  • Are they decision makers?
  • What job level are they?
  • Do these customers have similar pain points?
  • What do these customers value most that you provide?
  • Where do they go for information?
  • What is the experience they get by working with you?
  • What services are you providing?
  • What size of organization?
  • What industry do they work in?
  • Where are they located?
  • Are you providing multiple services? 

Personal Champions

  • How old are they?
  • Do they have kids?
  • What does their daily life look like?
  • Where do they live?
  • Where did they go to school?

Many organizations take a broad view of selling and are not clear on their ideal customer. A lot of money and time is spent ineffectively and the focus on growing your business is not where it needs to be.  Remember that the “ideal customer” continues to get updated. The process of identifying your ideal customer can be an immense undertaking but is crucial in growing and improving your business. You don’t want to just reach new customers but the right customers.

Learn about other Marketing & Sales resources for your small business in The Partnership’s Small Business Resources Hub or sign up for the Small Business Resources newsletter and stay connected for information about upcoming events, other resources and the latest announcements in the small business community in Greater Des Moines (DSM).

Connie Anderson

Connie Anderson specializes in marketing strategy, leadership and team development, and logistics consulting. With over three decades of business, Connie brings a unique perspective to the marketing and the customer experience. Her background includes both corporate and entrepreneurial experiences as CEO of Aspen Logistics, a third-party logistics company and other executive roles in Operations, Marketing and Sales with other 3PL organizations. As a business leader, she helps organizations gain clarity in their approach of gaining customers, retaining them and creating the customer experience. Connie has an uncanny capability to connect with all management and successfully shift perspective to bring potential ideas into focus and building success in their organizations from the inside out.

Categories