With the wrong kinds of customers, no business will deliver long-term growth. Top performing companies define exactly what kind of customers they want and then can go about finding more of them. Ideal customers are more likely to value what you can give them and are a better fit with your growth ambitions.
So an ideal customer profile describes the type of organisations perfectly suited to your business. Some people worry about narrowing down on a targeted group of companies because it will limit their opportunities. That’s nuts. Because if you don’t, you’ll actually limit your ability to attract the types of clients you really want.
Ideal customers are more likely to stick with you in the long-term, refer you to other potential clients and become willing advocates of your company. It’s tough to get predictable growth without them.
With a clear picture of your ideal customer, you can then target prospects who share the same qualities. Characteristics like size, sector & geography will help you identify a broader market.
But to find ideal customers within that market, you’ll need to narrow things down using other factors. The best way to do this is to look at the similarities of your best current clients – their issues, their beliefs, why they value what you bring.
Obviously other, more finance-related factors should play a part too, which can be furnished from your finance team. For example, are there any noteworthy trends around your most profitable customers that can help you identify similar prospects?
Find the core problems you are best-placed to solve
Usually, it’s a critical problem that you are best placed to solve that becomes the main factor helping you identify a group of ideal clients. When you know what to look for you can find ways to identify this information in other companies.
For example, if you’re a niche tech consultancy you’ll probably get more success finding prospects that value specialists ahead of larger, full-service companies. It should be easy to find out if a buyer likes to work with specialists.
Without doubt the best way to build an accurate picture is to hear it from the horse's mouth. This doesn’t have to mean extensive market research.
Straight-forward Voice of the Customer interviews with just 10 contacts from your customers and prospects will provide enough insight to help you create a solid customer profile. Ask them about their pains, the gains they seek, their priorities and where they go for advice.
We guarantee these insights will be invaluable. Even when they confirm what you already know, it can give you the evidence you need to make informed sales & marketing decisions, rather than relying on guesswork.
Your ideal customer profile will underpin your whole marketing programme. Get it right and you’ll see a significant impact on results.
