The “Perfect” Customer
Branding is, at its heart, the art of connecting with the “perfect customer.” This is the person who not only buys your coffee, but brings is friends in after work to sample your seasonal blend, too. She’s the first reader of every press release you publish and the first person to let you know when the competition copies your product.
Your perfect customer might not always be your largest customer, but they are the one driving the purchasing decisions of the rest of your target market. In business and marketing, the “perfect customer” is the holy grail; if you manage to identify him or her, you have connected with an unrelenting source of market intelligence, consumer loyalty, and market-driven product innovations. The problem is, not many people understand just who their perfect customer is!
My job is helping companies identify their perfect customer and polish their brand so it targets that specific demographic. Selling is all about relationship building, and the brand is the perfect vehicle to build a lasting relationship with your most fervent supporters.
But what is a “brand?”
Your brand is the sum total of your customers’ experience with your product. What mental images does the name pull up? How does your storefront look to potential buyers? How do customer service representatives answer the phone? What does your logo represent? Most importantly, what is the personality of your organization?
Understanding the wants, needs, and values of your perfect customer helps you manage your brand in a constructive fashion. Rather than stumbling upon new customers through sheer luck, you can plan and prepare for every kind of introduction. Sales will be higher, your brand’s reputation will become more pronounced, and you will have taken the lead in your market of choice.
How much value would you place on the one secret that would give you the edge over all of your competition? This is the value of an intimate understanding of your perfect customer.
Every company should be continuously asking two simple questions: 1. Who is the our perfect customer? and 2. Do they know and care about our brand? Many companies perform perfectly well without the answers to these questions. The companies that can answer them, however, sell more to more people on a more regular basis.
Do you know your perfect customer?
