To market effectively, you have to know your customers. Indiscriminately trying to sell to everyone can dilute your message, muddy your image, and waste your company’s resources.

Think about your typical customers: their ages, interests, gender, aspirations, and financial and social status. In order of importance, list what they’re looking for when they come to your business. Is it selection, quality, price, service, or some combination? Is efficiency, expertise, or willingness to accommodate particularly important to your clients? Do they demand convenience, or are they looking for atmosphere, ambience, or status?

Once you’ve determined what your customers want, make every effort to give it to them. Make your employees aware of your customers’ needs, and reward them for meeting those needs successfully. Satisfied customers come back, and they generally refer others.

When creating ads or other marketing tools, emphasize what your clients value, and try to communicate in their manner and style. For instance, low prices may not appeal to people who are more concerned with status, and ads to sell power tools rarely feature men in suits.

Consider using your records to start a customer database, and expand the list by creating a visitor sign-in log. To encourage sign-ins, try offering coupons or entries in drawings to anyone who fills in a name and address (including e-mail). Then stay in contact by sending out e-mail newsletters.

Your new database will provide a starting point for direct mail advertising. You then can expand your list by using the Yellow Pages and other directories. For even broader mailer coverage, consider renting targeted mailing lists from list brokers. (The costs generally run 10 to 20 cents for each contact.)



David Compton is a Certified Public Accountant with offices in Meridian and Birmingham, Ala.