ALL COUNTRIES:
Posted on: October 19, 2021 | Written by: Ben Hirons, Due North
If I had a dollar for every time a consultant said: “Describe your ideal customer to me”, I’d certainly be a rich man. Knowing your target audience, ‘they’ say, is one of the most important aspects to your marketing (don’t ask me who ‘they’ are, but they definitely pop up a lot).
And then ‘they’ would sprout things like:
Whilst some of the above are certainly characteristics of who your ideal customer is, they actually don’t help you a hell of a lot with the screening process of what sort of customer would be a good fit for your business.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should
Yes, that’s right, just because you can take on a customer, it certainly doesn’t mean you should take on a customer. So how do you know?
After 17 years in business I wanted to share my latest epiphany as to what my ideal customer is and how I can screen them to make sure I only work with those I should, rather than those I will later regret.
My ‘Aha’ moment was when I was having a coaching session with Emily Diamon (thanks Emily you’ve been great) and she goes, what do all these customers (the good ones who we worked well with, and were getting great results for) have in common?
After a few minutes of sole searching I replied:
“I enjoy having a beer with them!”
Whilst half said in jest, after a few more weeks of thinking about it, it was actually the right answer. Every single business we work well with and perform well for, I really enjoy their company and relish the chance to have a beer with them.
No need to be rude to them, but there is no room for people who are going to distract you from reaching your goals and doing what you love to do.
About the author:
Due North has a unique offering. We’re a team of marketing superstars from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds, including being our own bosses at some point or another. That’s right, we’ve built and grown our own businesses and it’s through this experience that we know how to help grow yours. When you work with us, you deal directly with the marketing superstars who are capable of both providing strategic advice and executing the plan. It’s a model we’re really proud of and produces amazing results.