Attracting the Right Customers

Take time to think about the characteristics that would most benefit your organization.

In the early stages of a business, it is natural to say "yes" to all potential customers. You may be under financial pressures to earn income, and want to seek reassurances that you are doing a good job and that people want to work with you. However, some customers have characteristics that give them the potential to be much more beneficial to your organization that others.

Take time to think about the characteristics that would most benefit your organization. If you can identify customers with those characteristics and find ways to attract them, you will gain the double benefit of having the customers that you want and sending the least beneficial customers to your competitors, so that they waste their time, not yours.

Once you have determined the types of customers you want and don't want, target your marketing to your preferred groups. For example, if you have decided that large customers are more beneficial to your organization than small ones, don't place your advertisements in local community magazines--advertise in national media. Strategic marketing of your products to attract the right customers also extends to pricing: if you price your products very low, you may attract only the most cost-conscious customers, who are likely to argue over price.

ACTION POINT: Determine the types of customers that bring the most benefit to your organization.