Every business has a "Ground Zero Target", meaning the ideal customer group
that you should be targeting in your marketing efforts.
I have met small business owners who actually have never taken the time to
know who their customers are, what they want or where they could be found.
They just take anybody who comes their way and are grateful for the
business. Their marketing strategies, if they have any, fails for the most
part, because they don't know who they are supposed to be targeting or they
target to wide of a market to be effective. They are doing business, but
could be doing it so much better by finding and targeting the ideal group of
customers. I want to be sure you take the time to know who your customers
are and if you are targeting the right group.
What we're going to do today is give you the help to classify these customer
groups and hopefully make it a little clearer what type of customer group
should be your Ground Zero Target. Take some time and decide which of
these groups are most important to you and your business. assign them a
value say from 1 to 10, 10 being the most valuable, one being the least
valuable. You can also add your own classifications to the list. Something
that is important to your business.
Make a list of the type of customers you are currently targeting. Now comes
the hard part. I want you to take a break, clear your mind and begin to
think of other groups of customers that could benefit from your
service/product. If you are having trouble coming up with other customer
groups, don't rush it. Put it away until later. Take all the time you need.
When you are finished (for now, because more may pop up later) compare them
to the classification list and add up the value of each classification that
fits that customer group.
# ) They Have To Be Able To Afford You. There is no point in targeting a
customer group who can't afford your service/product. A good example is a
local company I found was targeting This is the group that has a budget set
aside for the product you are marketing. They know that that will be buying,
they just don't know it's from you.
# ) You Have Already Earned Their Respect. In this group you have the
customer who is familiar with you and your services or products, and
hopefully satisfied with the services and/or products you provide. You have
gained their respect and their trust. They will seek you out again, if they
need you.
# ) Little Or No Competition. You will find that the more you look, the
more possible customer groups you can find for your service or product. You
may find a that their is a piece of the market that most of your competitors
have passed by or missed.
# ) They Want The Best. This is the customer group who will pay the extra
buck for the best product or service they can get. You will always have the
customer group who will buy conservatively and the group who is willing to
pay through the nose as long as the know (or think) they're getting the
best.
# ) Geography Is Important To Some. If your customer group is local, this
is more than likely your number 10 here. There's no point in advertising to
the world if you only service the surrounding communities. Do you only
handle a local clientelle? Do you have to? There are some companies that
remain small local companies because they have not yet opened their market
to a larger audience, who often turn out to be the better target.
# ) The Quantity Of Customers In This Group. Even if you have found the
ideal target group there is no point in marketing to a group of customers
who will to soon be exhausted. Make sure you have the quantity of possible
customers in this group to support your efforts.
# ) You Can Reach This Group Easily. You want a group that you can expose
your efforts to easily and often. You want to have a way of reaching your
target group. Is this group seeing your promotion material, your
advertising? Are they seeing enough of it? Is there a way to better reach
this group than what you are doing now?
# ) References. If you had to choose, would you take on a large project
for an unknown or new company, rather than a small job for a company who is
prominently known for what they do? I hope you said the smaller job. Word of
mouth from prominent business owners or managers can be a major boost in
getting your business where you want it to be.
# ) They Don't Know It Yet, But They Need You. The group of people who
need your product or service, just have to make them aware that they need
you. You have to have a group of people you know that really need what you
have. You may have your group that you are already targeting. Are you sure
this is the group of people who need your service/product the most?
# ) They Need You And They Know They Need You. This is the group who has
your service/product already on their mind, they just haven't found you yet.
All you need to do is introduce your business and service/product. They are
ready to buy, it's just the matter of proving yourself and your
seervice/product is what they are looking for.
After it is all said and done, you should have one group of customers who
come out on top. This is the group your marketing efforts should be focused
on. Consider the business you get from the other groups gravy on your plate.
This is one of many exercises I have picked up. Remember, Marketing is an
exact science and treating it as such will take you far.
Happy Marketing
About the Author
"Wild Bill" Montgomery
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