Increase Profits by Focusing on Your Ideal Customer

By Leva Duell
Posted Friday, October 8, 2004

Targeting your customers is vital to your business success. Increase your profits by focusing on prospects who are likely to buy your products or services. Ask the following questions to find out who your ideal customers are and what they want:

. Who wants or needs your products or services?

. What is the age range, gender, profession, industry, income level, and education of your ideal customers?

. What are your customers' needs, wants, and concerns? What information do they want? Why do they want or need your products or services? How do they use your products and services?

. What problems do they have? What problems can you solve for them? What problems do your products or services solve?

. Are most of your customers computer literate? What computer monitor do they have? What browsers do they use? What software do they use? Do they connect to the Internet with a slow modem or a fast cable or DSL connection?

. Who will be visiting your web site? Why will they come to your site?

After finding out who your ideal customers are and what they want, target the content and design of your promotional materials and web site directly to them.

Attract your target audience with a benefit-oriented headline. Tell right away what you're offering and what's in it for them. For example: "Authors and Web Entrepreneurs - Write a Profitable Ebook in Less Than 30 Days. Book coach tells you how."

Make your text large for seniors. Use a conservative design for accountants. Make your design colorful for children. Avoid movies, sounds, and animations on your web site if your customers have slow computers and Internet connections.

Are your sales materials and web site targeted to your ideal customers? If they're not, revise them. It will dramatically increase your profits.

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