How to Build an Emotional Relationship With Your Customer

It’s easy to say “Find your ideal customer.  Figure out what’s important to them.  Then develop a system to get them to choose you every time regardless of price.  But how do you actually DO that.  This outline will take you through the step-by-step of identifying your ideal customer and the emotional triggers that will drive them to choose you.

Follow this outline to help you identify the strategies and tactics that will help you build loyal and profitable relationships with your ideal customer.

1. What is your Competitive Advantage? In other words, you have to be clear about who you are and what sets you apart.  What is the purpose of your business?  What are you here to do.  What unique features of your business set you apart from other alternatives your ideal customer may have.
2. Profile your ideal customer. Include things like demographics, lifestyle, values, emotional needs, life experiences, philosophies, hobbies, and interests of the heavy purchasers.  Now compare that profile with that of the lowest-opportunity, non-ideal or, pain-in-the-neck customer.  This comparison will point to the key driver behind their purchasing decisions.
3. Brainstorm for Emotional Triggers. Think about your offering and together with your team start brainstorming on a wide range of underlying, emotional triggers  that could potentially drive your customer to choose your offer.  For example, if your product is in the healthcare area you might brainstorm “fear of dying” and “joy of living” and then see which of these triggers your ideal customers relate to most.
4. Create and develop several positioning concepts. Take this information and develop two or three possible positions to test with your ideal customers.  You may want to develop concepts, storyboards, advertising, direct mail — anything that features words, phrases, pictures and your potential positions.  Ask customers to choose the one that resonates with them.   You can also use online survey tools to upload multi-media concepts and have customers choose their favorites.

This is a little bit more of an involved process — especially when you get into developing concept ideas around the messages that you will use to connect with your ideal customer.   But this is really focused on that segment of customers who represent the highest level of profit and opportunity for you.  This is a worthwhile effort because it will save you untold time, money and dead-end strategy.

Author: Ivana Taylor

Name: Ivana Taylor
Email: ivana@thirdforce.net
Site: http://diymarketers.com
About: Ivana Taylor is the publisher of DIYMarketers.com and the President of Third Force a firm that specializes in helping companies find their best customers and be the one they choose – regardless of price. She's an expert and book editor for Small Business Trends and a contributor to AMEX Open Forum.See Authors Posts (255)