Did you ever attend a summer business dinner party
overdressed? I did. Everyone was wearing shorts, and I wore
a business suit. It wasn't because I couldn't fit into last
summer's shorts, either, no matter what my husband tells
you. I was overdressed, because my marketing skills were
horrible.
I may have worn the wrong clothing to the party, but I
pulled one of the critical marketing truths of all time out
of the embarrassing experience. Now, don't get me wrong. I
was totally focused on the dinner party. I even bought a
brand new suit for the party. One problem was, the rest of
the invitees who knew our party host better than me, knew
what to wear. I discovered quickly, that playing volleyball
in a business skirt just doesn't work. And, I didn't get
the opportunity to close the deals that I had hoped for.
I violated a critical marketing commandment: Thou shall not
avoid researching their target audience. Fortunately for
me, I learned from that experience to not only research my
target audience, but to speak their language. I would ask:
Who's point of view is most important to my business? Which
customer group can easily afford me, and can easily be
reached? Do I care about clients under the age of 20? Are
they Detroit basketball fans? Outdoor hikers? You can
define the target audience by behavior, demographics,
topical interests, or whatever is relevant to your business
goal. This information will help you build high trust
relationships with your clients.
This is an absolutely critical point. As a Six-Sigma Green
Belt trained professional and certified cultural
facilitator, I use my system to research an audience. As in
other marketing efforts, the more precisely you can define
your ideal client, the more effective your marketing will
be. So, ask yourself these questions:
- Do your clients prefer nutrition, breads, condiments,
beverages, in-store ambience, take-out service, or
environmental impact surrounding the food you sell?
- With a new appliance, as an example, do your clients look
at recycling issues, service experience, cleaning tips, or
energy efficiency?
- What language does your target audience speak? (**Super
Important** The Japanese are the most active social
networking audience on the Internet right now. If you're a
global company doing business in France, Germany, Japan,
etc. where the Internet is significant and English is not,
you need to search in the native culture and language.)
- What is the age, gender, socio-economic, ethnicity and
nationality culture of your target audience?
- Are your clients more likely to watch a video, listen to
audio, or read your materials?
Not sure on how to define your target audience, or how to
research them? I can tell you that having the RIGHT team
using the RIGHT skills to teach you how to conduct the
RIGHT research and observation is crucial to the success of
your business. And, it saves you money in the long run.
----------------------------------------------------
Kim Schott, your Global Client Communication Mentor, is the
author of the Keys to Client Communication System™,
the step-by-step, paint by numbers client communication
program help self-employed service professionals to attract
more clients in less time. To receive your weekly how-to
articles on consistently attracting more local and global
clients in less time, visit
http://www.SchottCulturalConsulting.com
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