getting into the hearts and minds[br]of your customers
The ability to identify, understand and effectively communicate with high-value customers is vitally important in driving sales and marketing success. Whether you’re a small or large organisation, the better you understand your customers, the more responsive you can be to their needs, likes and dislikes. You can identify new opportunities, introduce them to innovative concepts and tailor specific offerings.
By developing deep, personal relationships with your customers and showing them that you value their business, you’ll improve satisfaction, generate loyalty and maximise revenue opportunity. It’s all about quality information. The better the information you can source, the more successful you’ll be in servicing their needs. But how well do you know your customers? And what tools do you have to get to know them better?
Businesses with a small customer base generally relate with their customers on a very personal level and are able to get direct feedback. Knowing that not only have you met their expectations but also that you surpassed them is valuable information. This means they will return to you with more business and also refer you to other potential clients.
Here are some specific questions you could ask on completion of a project or campaign:
What was the reaction or result?
From the target market?
From colleagues, sales force, management?
What and how do you think it could be improved?
the process? the creative? the offer? the timing? the media?
What follow up would you like?
Companies providing goods or services to a much wider spectrum of customers and potential customers would be more likely to need a carefully planned survey, either from the data they have on hand through their own marketing department or through a third party research firm. No matter what the size of your business, it’s essential to gather and analyse as much data about your customers as possible. The most effective way to store and manage this information is in a relational database — a centralised customer database that allows everyone in your organisation to access the most up-to-date information about each customer profile or customer segment. A database of precise market intelligence is a powerful tool and there is a wide range of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software available on the market today. These programs enable businesses to segment their customers and prospects into various classifications such as industry sector, geographical location, size, revenue, product/service range or target markets.
Business with a very broad customer base are able to get a general snapshot of their target market, including such categories as demographics, lifestyle characteristics and buying cycles. Once you understand the detailed profiles of your customers, you have a deeper knowledge of what appeals to them, what they respond to and what motivates them into action. You can create marketing and advertising material that grabs their attention and most importantly, you understand how you can best service them to continue building the customer relationship.
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