I may not like country music, but what do my customers like?
You are not your target market:
What you like doesn’t equate into what customers like.
I don’t like country music. I don’t like pop up newsletter subscription boxes. I don’t even like the idea of whipped cream flavored vodka. None of that should influence my marketing. What should? My customers.
What do my customers like? What music will appeal to them? Do they appreciate being offered a chance to subscribe to our newsletter? What flavored vodkas do they want to buy from my store? I can’t answer for them. I need to let my customers answer.
You let your customers answer by asking them directly, by measuring the changes in their responses when you change something, by split testing two different things against each other, by ordering the vodka and measuring sales.
Stop pretending your customers are the same as you.
You are not your target market:
Let your customers be themselves.
You are not your target market Part 3: You know too much.
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
This is a good point. I think many people don’t think from a customer’s perspective.
I think trying to think from the customers perspective is also futile. You only have your own experiences to daw from. i too don’t like country music but if it was going to double my sales i’d learn real quick. As becy states here it is important to ask and test. Too many business people from execs to small business owners sit at their boardroom tables trying to come up with something that will catch the eye of the customer or make a customer want to purchase. Unfortunately, they rarely listen to their customer base. They don’t even know how to ask the questions because they are not practiced at it.
My one last point is that often businesses are looking for a new customer rather than listening to, or taking care of the ones they have. Start with what exists. that is where the data is. You’ll find natural extensions from there. I think i have to write a post on this now.
Great article Becky!
Great, Keith. I’m glad you liked it. I have to agree about focusing on existing customers first. Let us have the link, when you get that post written!
Keith was quick! Here’s the link to his post: Why You CAN’T put your feet in the shoes of your customer