It is essential to know who the clients of your products are, as they represent the future growth of your business. Knowing their lifestyle, their habits, what they like and don’t like, is an important lever for your sales
What is needed to create a client profile?
The core information is the description of the values, beliefs and decision-making processes of the clients. This information is useful for understanding what they appreciate about your products and why.
It is also important that the information collected is shared with your collaborators and/or within the company.
First try to respond to the following questions:
- Who is your typical client?
- What is important for your client?
- In a comparison with direct competitors, what do your clients appreciate the most about your products and service?
- What requirements/needs do your clients have in common?
- What is the most important problem the company is able to resolve (for its clients)?
- What is the decision-making process used by your clients? (for example what aspects/characteristics do they take into consideration before buying the product)
- Why do your client appreciate your products?
- What do your clients think after having purchased the products?
- What would your best clients say about the company if interviewed? How would they describe your products and/or service?
- How important is the role of the price in the decision to purchase your products?
Ask these questions also to your salesmen and collaborators who have specific roles in customer relations. At this point you can ask your clients directly, perhaps through a small Customer Satisfaction survey.
Do you notice a difference with your answers? The comparison between what your advertising and your documentation (leaflets, brochures, website, etc.) communicate and the answers provided by the clients will be illuminating.
Remember that you can get information not only from clients, but also from other sources. Sales statistics, for example, after elaboration, are full of useful information on client behaviour, in terms of purchase volumes, average amount spent, buying frequency, products purchased and product combinations.
Other information is also likely to be found scattered in various offices or can be taken from other sources such as quotes, shipment details, assistance service, the sales office, web portals and blogs, responses to e-mailing campaigns, business cards collected during exhibitions and so on.
