What You Need to Know About Your Customers

All successful entrepreneurs have at least one quality in common — a laser focus on their customers’ or clients’ needs. Make no mistake – without your customers, you have no business! The only way to persuade potential customers to choose you over your competition is to truly understand them. Here are five things that you need to know about your customers if you want them to keep coming back:

Your Customer Demographic
Who are your customers? Are you selling directly to consumers or to businesses? How old is your average customer? Are your customers typically men or women? Do they have children? How much money do they have to spend? If you are selling to businesses, what type of business are you targeting? Who within the business makes purchasing decisions? What do you know about that person? The more that you know about your customer, the better you can target your product to their specific needs.

What Their Needs Are
This is your million dollar question. What problem is your customer actively trying to solve? What is currently at the top of their mind? If you can identify and solve their key issues, they will break down your door to do business with you.

When They Will Need You
When it comes to getting and keeping a customer, timing is everything. If you know when your customer will be ready to make a purchase, you can strategically reach out to them at that time. Give them a deal and make it easy for them to choose your company. Since everyone is so busy, if you offer your product in a way that is both convenient and timely, you will be bound to get a positive response.

What Their Expecations Are
Before you start working with a new customer, make sure that you are on the same page. If you don’t have a detailed conversation with them about their expectations, you are taking a big risk. You might find yourself in a situation where you are not giving them what they need, or you could later discover that what they are expecting is impossible for you to deliver.

Why They Like Shopping With You
What do your customers value? What makes them choose you over your competition? Is your company strong in community involvement? Do you have a high level of expertise in one particular area? Is the quality of your products better than that of your competitors? You need to know what makes you attractive to your customers so that you can protect your competitive advantage and possibly expand on it.

The secret to having happy customers is to truly understand their needs. If you feel like you don’t really know your customers, it might be worth spending some time with them. After listening to their feedback, you may find that you approach your business differently.