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12.28.09 Interesting Ways To Look At Your Customers And Why They Buy  By Stacy Karacostas I flew to St. Louis for the Glazer-Kennedy Info Summit. This is a 4-day event about how to create and market information products (think ebooks, teleseminars, coaching groups, membership sites, live seminars and more). This is the second time I've made it to this event, and once again I took home a ton of fantastic ideas. So for the last month I've been going through my notes and getting started on some of the new products and services I was inspired to create. Of course, there's ton of information on marketing and small business success in general. So I thought I'd share a few of the killer tidbits of business-building wisdom I picked up. Today, I've got a really interesting way for you to look at your target customer and why they buy. This comes from the copywriting workshop Dan Kennedy presented on the first night... According to Dan, you can put your customers in one of 6 categories... 1) Slight Edge Buyers - These folks are always eager to do better. They're constantly looking for ways to improve and get a slight edge over the competition, or bring just a little more to the table. If you sell information in any way, shape or form (consultants, speaker, authors and coaches take note) these are generally your best customers. 2) Junkies and Addicts - These people are passionate about or have a deep interest in a subject or subjects, and/or a strong attachment to a particular author(s). So they buy everything on the subject, or everything that author puts out. 3) Reinforcement Buyers - Unlike the last two categories, these people aren't really looking for new information. Instead, they want to buy things that reinforce the opinions and conclusions they already have...Sometimes because this gives them the courage and conviction to finally move forward with their ideas. 4) Unplugged Joiners - Some people are joiners who feel compelled to always belong to or be a part of something. So if they are unplugged from one thing they go in search of something else right away. This is why "recent expired lists" are so valuable in newsletter business...Because if they're subscription or membership to one thing just expired they may very well be itching to "belong" to something else. Also in this category are the chronically unsatisfied, the legitimately disappointed, the people looking to move-up, and the lonely. 5) Desperate/Life Raft Grabbers/Magic Pill Buyers - This group of buyers is typically confronting new or unexpected adversity, sudden change or marketplace disruption. So they're desperately in search of a solution. Also in this category are the perennial losers who buy lots of stuff but never use any of what they buy. 6) Life Event Driven Buyers- As life changes, so do your wants and needs. This has a tremendous impact on this type of customer. A couple great examples of folks in this category would be anyone going through a mid-life crises, or whose kids just went off to college. These events weren't surprises, but they definitely impact what and why someone will buy. This is one reason why baby boomers are such a hot target market. Chances are, whether you sell products or services, you have clients from a few of these categories. Which of these do you recognize in your business? How could you market to them more effectively now that you know what motivates them to buy? Comments About the Author: Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas, founder of SuccessStream Sales & Marketing Solutions, specializes in taking the stress, struggle and confusion out of growing your small business. She's the author of the 2-page marketing plan workbook Putting Your Business on the Road to Success, and The Small Business Website Bible. Stacy also writes the fun and informative Marketing Junkie blog and Bright Ideas weekly newsletter. For more practical, business-building wisdom help yourself to a copy of her free report The 7 Deadliest Small Business Marketing Sins... Are You Guilty? |
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