Who are my potential customers?

Market Segmentation Analysis; Competitive Analysis; Customer Analysis

Where are my potential customers?

Industry Analysis; Demographic Analysis; Profiling

How do I find my potential customers?

Internet Database Searches; Trade Association Membership Lists, Trade Publications Mailing Lists, Trade Show Participant/Attendee Lists; Governmental Agencies

How do I reach my potential customers?

Advertising; Sales Promotion; Direct Mail; Internet Marketing; Publicity; Newsletters, Seminars; Trade Show Participation; Radio; Television; Press Conferences; Conference Participation

What do I say to my potential customers?

Map your key messages, and then match your messages to each target audience segment.

Remember : Key messages are designed to deliver benefits to your existing and prospective customers.

How do I keep my new customers?

• Solicit customer input via appropriate research.

• Let your customers know that you are responding and reacting to their input. • Remember that it costs 2-3 times more to get new customers than it does to retain existing customers.

• Customer Relations: 3A’s: Acknowledge, Apologize and take Action -- it works wonders every time!

Some Tips for Start Up & Beyond

• Focus on your core competencies—it is often better to offer a more focused and effective range of products/services to a target audience, than to over reach your abilities.

• Develop consistent messages focused on your competencies and the benefits you will provide to your customers.

• Deliver your messages continuously, and measure their effectiveness. Remember: you are establishing a brand for which you seek long-term reputation. Successful brand awareness will build trust and loyalty which in turn increases your business.

• Follow up with your customers to ensure that your key messages are received and clearly understood.

• Update and refine your key messages when appropriate.

• Broadcast your success stories—direct marketing works. The responses to your campaigns may be small in number, but the value of just a few responses can be large.

• Never underestimate the value of public relations and publicity. Public relations initiatives can enhance your brand awareness and help build customer intimacy. • Use customer research as your weapon against failure. Build your business on known facts, not suppositions, hunches and guesswork. Research helps you see the world as it is--which might be different than the world you had imagined. • Read, read, read and then read some more! Stay on top of your market segment, talk about it, write about it, lecture, conduct seminars, and then network, network, network.