Do you know each and every one of your customers? Successful entrepreneurs know their customers—their wishes, buying habits and specific details. For example, they know their customers’ names, ages, approximate incomes, home locations, email addresses, professions or retired status, educational background, associations, marital status, number of children, hobbies and interests. Does that seem like a lot of information to compile?
All this information helps entrepreneurs understand their customers’ likes and dislikes in order to build strong relationships. In other words, knowing your customers well allows you to tailor your delivery to their specific needs and wants. A relationship with customers (the people who buy LifePharm Products through you) is critical to your success as an Independent Business Owner. In order to strengthen your relationships with your customers, you need to understand what they are interested in and what their issues are so that you can help them problem-solve. Your ability to provide possible solutions makes you valuable and likable, two ingredients of a successful, long-term relationship.
All too often, entrepreneurs spend their energy on everything except having conversations with current and potential customers. Thoroughly knowing and understanding your customers and delivering what they want is the ultimate key to success. Regardless of whether your sales are increasing or declining, you need to spend quality time with your customers to understand what is driving their purchase behavior so you can provide service or reminders accordingly. As an entrepreneur, you should conduct your business like someone who relates to your customers, someone who understands where they’re coming from. Then you can successfully lead them to where you want them to go, whether as a long-term customer or a conversion to being a business builder.
Sometimes we need to get out of our own ways to really understand our customers. Psychologists state that we are more likely to listen for problems that fit our own experiences and lifestyles and to discount others. That can cause us to miss important opportunities. The trick to active listening is to put ourselves in the shoes of our customers and really hear what they are saying. What they say may not be direct and we need to read between the lines and perceive what their needs may be. To be honest, sometimes the customer doesn’t even know there’s a need! We are there to show them the way.
Feedback is also essential in keeping the relationships alive. Once you have a customer, you have to repeat the dialogue over and over again to retain him/her. Since everyone’s life changes over time, you can’t assume that your customers’ needs and wants remain the same. Although most people are creatures of habit, by monitoring your customers’ purchases regularly, you will spot a change in pattern if and when it occurs. Even if you don’t reach out habitually, the perfect time to check in is when you spot a change in buying patterns, whether it’s a lapse, an increase in product orders or an addition/subtraction to the product mix.
Customers are less loyal and trusting these days. In part, this is because they have more power and options than ever—thanks to social media, online comparison shopping and an unpredictable global economy. This makes understanding your customers even more important for your continued business success. Be flexible, change with them and try to anticipate their needs. You can do this only if you invest the time and energy into cultivating a relationship—don’t wait for them to contact you; proactively keep in touch with them.
You are there to provide a service (informing them about the latest developments with LifePharm Products, being ready to help customers transition to being business builders) and to be a problem solver. Remember to try and see the world from their perspectives and help them to help themselves. Knowing who your customers are and separating the business builders from the product consumers is key to growing your LifePharm Business!