The trick is to determine what uniquely identifies your best customers. Fortunately, deriving this information is not difficult, and in many cases can be obtained from innocuous questions. Consider a manufacturer of baby goods and the fact that families with new babies often purchase multi-passenger vehicles. This manufacturer could build an effective mailing list by surveying recent car purchasers and noting which respondents had traded in sports cars for SUVs. Your information gathering technique of course will vary, but the identifying information always comprises the same three pieces -- demographic information, geographic location, and purchasing history. Demographic Information
Consumer behavior varies with age, sex, education, income, occupation, marital status, and family size. These demographic parameters are typically used to describe consumers, but they're not an exhaustive list. Perhaps the current brand of car or credit limit would more accurately determine your customer base, which reveals the dark side of demographics -- choosing which demographics to discard may be occasionally difficult. You may find yourself fighting the urge to know every minute detail about your customers. Bear in mind that too much information can be just as paralyzing as too little, and remember to choose wisely, because demographic information is the foundation of your customer analysis. Geographic Location
Trends in apartment renting and home ownership have proven the old adage "birds of a feather flock together," amazingly correct. Geographic location analysis paired with demographics reveals clusters of people with similar characteristics living near one another. This type of analysis creates maps where your customers live, which can yield additional clues on where to look for new customers. It's also worth noting that purchasing behavior is remarkably consistent within specific geographic areas, reflecting shared lifestyle traits. Market segmentation studies can build upon geographic analysis to produce studies of various customer types as well. Purchasing History
When did your customers last make a purchase? How often do they buy? How much do they typically spend? You can use these questions to assign a value category to your customers. If you're a consumer goods and services provider, you have all the purchase information you need right in your sales records. If that's not enough, or if you run a different type of business, you can find generalized purchasing history in census data.
Using what you know about current customers to identify likely new customers increases your chances significantly of finding new best customers. That in turn generates sound data to guide your product offerings, promotional programs, and overall marketing strategy.
Catenate, LLC is a web-based provider of detailed easy-to-use targeted geodemographic reports, through the Catosphere (http://www.catosphere.com) and related marketing services.
http://www.catosphere.com
Wendy Cobrda, CEO
How important is a vision statement to your company or... Read More
Is your business growing as fast and effectively as it... Read More
A well known, national chain of restaurants discovered that certain... Read More
Entrepreneurs often give little if any consideration to their computer... Read More
Private equity firms have raised so much capital over the... Read More
How often does your company make a quantum leap forward?... Read More
Making money doesn't make your reputation... your reputation makes you... Read More
I've either been involved with or held a process-related role... Read More
There are no "rules of thumb" in the pursuit of... Read More
It doesn't take a Terrorist Act, Tsunami or Earthquake to... Read More
David E. Gumpert, author of Burn Your Business Plan, often... Read More
If you own the mid-size business and actively work in... Read More
Many movies have been made about the tragic story of... Read More
To Grow (Catapult) Your Business That's Why.When it's in your... Read More
One of the most powerful driving forces in human nature... Read More
Many very successful business owners may never have had a... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains does wonderful ERP job for horizontal markets... Read More
Every business experiences slower periods. For some, they sell more... Read More
As a franchisor it is imperative that you seek, find... Read More
You have heard that there is extra money on the... Read More
The trick is to determine what uniquely identifies your best... Read More
Have you been in a "brainstorming" session where each person... Read More
I am not a big fisherman, but I do enjoy... Read More
These may sound like no brainers, but you'd be surprised.... Read More
Imagine spending the same amount of money on marketing and... Read More
last minute cleaning help Highland Park ..Human beings are rational agents. Rationality endorses one to take... Read More
A well known, national chain of restaurants discovered that certain... Read More
The first task before hiring a contractor for home remodeling... Read More
The day you decide to take the plunge and work... Read More
"I don't need a business plan."Neither did Alice in Wonderland."Would... Read More
Too much goal setting and strategic planning can leave you... Read More
The format of a Business Plan is something that has... Read More
Imagine an office without a desk, or lights, a computer,... Read More
If you own a mobile franchise business and wish to... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits horizontal markets clientele and in case... Read More
If you are looking for a partner, funding, angle investor... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains does wonderful ERP job for horizontal markets... Read More
You have heard that there is extra money on the... Read More
Have you ever done a SWOT analysis? No, it's not... Read More
"Begin with the end in mind," says Stephen Covey in... Read More
Growing your own small business can be one of the... Read More
Diversify - to make diverse, give variety, to balance, to... Read More
There's nothing automatic about corporate growth, particularly in the information... Read More
One of the most powerful driving forces in human nature... Read More
Experts estimate that 90 percent of Australian businesses are overspending... Read More
One of the most important initiatives in the domain of... Read More
We all agree Strategic Planning is a critical part of... Read More
If you're a solo professional like I am, you know... Read More
It doesn't take a Terrorist Act, Tsunami or Earthquake to... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains fits multiple services market niche and healthcare... Read More
Strategic Planning |