target market analysis Archives

Why do you need to do a customer audit? customer service audit

I recently decided to break up my Strategic Business Planner into smaller modules, because it could be a little overwhelming to do an audit of every aspect of your business at one time.

The truth is, you do need to do an audit of all aspects of your business from time to time, in order to rethink your overall strategy, but you can focus just on the most urgent issues you have.

My Own Findings About My Customers

One of the first components I broke out is my Customer Audit. Now, I took the audit myself, and discovered some interesting things that I hadn’t realized because I hadn’t been taking the time to look at my business.

One thing I realized was that my male customers seemed to be lower than previous years. Also, I have less UK customers than prior years. I also seemed to be getting more customers in their early 20s. All of this is valuable information in terms of my marketing strategy.

It made be realize that I hadn’t updated my email opt-in incentive for a while, and that there was more I could be doing in terms of my pre-sales and post-sales customer experience, among many other things.

My Customer Audit consists of 8 very easy-to-follow worksheets that will help you ensure that you are targeting the right customer (in terms of age, income, gender, etc.) as well as identify new customer segments, and evaluate your customer service strategy as well. It also prompts you to examine what is your customer experience, both pre-sales and post-sales, what are you doing to retain customers, what are you doing to get referrals and more pressing customer questions.

So many times businesses come to me wanting to find new customers, but are you getting the most out of the customers you already have?

Click to download

If you are interested in analyzing your current customer base and improving your overall customer experience, download my Customer Audit.

About Me

Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall ”.

My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

Need a new target market strategy for your small business?

I have helped a lot of small businesses and one thing I always encourage, is to think of all the potential markets for your products.

So, if you have been predominately selling your products and services to the consumer or end user, why not expand into the business market as well (and I don’t mean wholesale).

For example, let’s say you sell artwork. Are you strictly focused on selling to people who want art in their homes? What about businesses that want art? Do you know how often the phrase, “Dental Office Art” is Googled?

New Target Markets for Home Goods

Small, boutique hotels/motels
Spas, hairstylists, health clubs, yoga studios
Retail shops
Restaurants
Professionals – doctors office, dental offices, real estate agents, attorneys, banks, etc.
Daycares, private schools
Interior decorators/designers

New Target Markets for Jewelry and Fashion

Stylists
Costume designers
Photographers (need props)

New Target Markets for Pet Products

Groomers
Trainers
Dog Walkers
Pet Sitters/Hotels
Veterinarians

New Target Markets for Wedding Products

Wedding planners
Wedding venues
Hotels and inns
Caterers
Hairstylists

New Target Markets for Vintage Goods

Costume designers
Set designers
Museums
Historical attractions

New Target Markets for Kids Products

Teachers
Daycares & private schools
Party venues
Baby and kids photographers
Mommy classes

Ways To Make Your Products More Enticing to Businesses

Offer discounts for certain professionals
Offer volume discounts, encouraging them to buy more
Offer free customization
Offer superior customer service and many ways to contact you
Offer free publicity for their business (with a mention on your website, blog)

The benefits of targeting the business market is that you will likely get more volume orders, get repeat business, not to mention great exposure to end users (if your products are labelled correctly).

FINAL WORD: Don’t get hung up on selling to just the end user. The business market is still a huge opportunity, especially your local business market.