Why Putting the Customer First is Hurting your Business
“Trying to appeal to every customer is damaging your business.”
- Sarah George
Watch the video here or if you are a reader, keep scrolling.
Fact - trying to appeal to every customer is damaging your business. Hear me out why putting the customer first can put you in last.
Reasons Why You Hear The Client is King
We've grown up on this conventional wisdom. Why? It helps businesses stay competitive because happy customers come back, and unhappy customers tell others not to come at all. Plus empowering the customer gives employees a strong rallying cry for sales. The Connective Consulting stance: neither of these reasons are wrong, but they can hide a few serious problems for any small business.
Marketing To Your Loudest Fans Doesn't Translate To All Fans
One of my favorites of all the principals, the Pareto Principal - 20% of your clients result in 80% of your revenue (and this matters, if you think that the bulk of revenue comes from the loudest, it's rarely true). The good news is you need to pay most attention to only 20%.
Complainers are hard to appease; marketing to their needs (only) doesn't guarantee you'll make them happy and also may hide the needs of your less vocal clients. Complainers are the first ones to jump ship when a shinier, cheaper option is placed in front of them. The squeaky wheel can have the grease, we want the loyal ride-or-die type!
Pick a Best Client
Who is your company best suited to help? What makes it so easy to serve them? THAT is your guidepost. Stick to it. You can still help other people, but helping others shouldn't come at the cost of helping your BEST client.
What are you known for? Make marketing decisions based on how your best client will identify with you... even if it bugs the loud complainers.
Conclusion: It isn't that the customer is always right... a better catch phrase would be "my BEST customer is always right." And sometimes that means that other customers are better elsewhere. Do you Know Your Who™? I can help you zone in on the details of your BEST client so you cater your marketing decisions where it matters. Book a discovery call to get started.
8/11/2022
Tell Me a Story: 6 Part Series
Welcome to a 6-part series on the Story Brand framework. I'll walk through the steps so you will be able to share your own story geared toward your idea clients.
7/1/2022
3 Phases of Marketing
The importance of (always) marketing can be summed up to three phases. All of your business comes through one of these phases.
6/1/2022
Not According to Plan
What do you do when a campaign doesn't yield the results you expect or hope for? It can be deflating especially with all the energy you put in and expected a certain ROI of your time, energy, and money. Here are some suggestions...
4/14/2022
From Zero to Hero - Marketing Funnel
Are you aware of the marketing funnel? It's called other things: customer journey; buyer awareness; marketing journey. This funnel is the point of your marketing efforts - to go from unawareness to advocate. Recently I went through the entire journey as fast as expedited shipping. Let me share.
2/28/2022
Proactive Marketing
As the one running it all, you are trying your best to keep up with what is coming at you right now, and sometimes that is marketing. But there is another, more effective way. Read on for how to be a proactive marketer.
2/9/2022
Client Conversation: Dream Builder
You know that feeling of wanting more but not sure how to get it? More satisfaction from your career? More time for vacations? More days feeling healthy and not burned out?
My first featured guest on Client Conversations is Lynne Zimmer, a certified DreamBuilder Coach.
Lynne and I discuss business and connection. Have a listen in.
1/5/2022
Find & Connect with your Ideal Clients
What does it mean to connect to your clients? One definition of connecting is to join together to provide access and communication. You have to hear them. Then you can speak to them, and they will be more likely to hear you. Knowing who you are marketing to and what matters to them is critical.
How do you do that? It starts with research and understanding.
12/15/2021
Get Business, Not Busy
As a business owner, you want to drive sales so you make money and benefit more people. But getting clients takes time and energy- both of which are a limited commodities. How can you make your growth efforts more effective so it takes less time and makes a bigger impact?
11/15/2021
Marketing YOU
You know what you offer is valuable to your ideal clients who need you. You really do make life better for them. But the struggle is actually telling others you are good at what you do without feeling like you are desperate or tooting your own horn.
Let's Connect!
No pressure. Tell me your goals for growing your business and together we'll walk through some fresh ideas. Your first consultation is at no cost, no obligation.
What can you lose?
Work with me
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