Do you know your customers? Do
you know who they are, what their needs are, what interests
them?
Do you know what motivates your
customers to buy -- and then return to buy again? Do you know
what makes them feel good about doing business with you?
The answers you give to questions
like these can provide some very revealing clues about your
current level of success in business.
Did you know that businesses like
Nike, Dell Computers, Ikea, and Amazon.com weren't started
as a result of hours and hours of intensive market research?
No, what brought these companies into existence was when individuals
just like you and me experienced needs that weren't being
met by the current market -- and they set out to remedy the
situation.
Of course, it's easy to stand back
and say these entrepreneurs were just lucky. Or they were
in the right place at the right time.
But that would be wrong.
What brought extraordinary success
to these well-known entrepreneurs is they took the time to
know and understand their customers.
They discovered that if they provided
certain benefits -- or reduced certain hassles -- they could
motivate prospective customers to buy.
They quickly learned that if they
provided good and fast service, customers would come back
to buy from them again and again.
They also recognized that by reducing
the risk involved in the customer's purchase, they could greatly
increase people's trust and confidence.
There are many lessons we can learn
from the "big guys," but one of the biggest is to know
thy customers.
Focus on their needs and their
interests. Let them know how you can make their life better,
easier, more enjoyable. Show them how important they are to
you by going the extra mile.
For after all, if it weren't for
our customers, would any of us even have a business?
Nan Yielding has nearly 10 years experience as an online business owner. She is the owner of Writing-Etc.com and offers internet marketing services and assistance to help website owners attract more customers and increase sales.
This article may be copied and distributed so
long as it is not modified in any way and the footer at the end
of the article is included.
