How to Get Customers
How to get Customers - Six Tips
The Criticality
How to get Customers has been the key focus of any startup entrepreneur The proof of the concept can be established only when an individual opens the purse and buys the product or service
The job does not end with the acquisition of first or even a dozen customers One has to accept there will be churn. What offering possibly can put a golden lock on the customer will be the critical success factors
(1409E8)
Use every relationship you have
First Tip
It’s hard enough to make cold calls, but it’s extremely difficult to sell new, innovative products and services using that method.
You need to meet with people who have some connection to you, no matter how slight.
When I started my first company, my clients were supposed to companies. I sat down and made a list of everyone I knew who owned a business and came up with only five names. This was very discouraging.
But I decided to grow my list by tapping my existing relationships, so I met with almost every person I knew who might have ties to the business community and asked people to introduce me to five business owners. I was surprised by how willing people were to help. I quickly grew my list of prospects and even snagged a few early customers.
Diana Kander-Senior Fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
How to get Customers- Know Your Customer
Second Tip
You don't have to pay for market research, but you do need a good idea of your target market. Build a profile of potential customers - in particular, think about what they want and how you can appeal to them. Always aim to be special or offer better value for money than your competitors.
Marketing Donut
How to Get Customers- Precisely define your target audience.
How to Get Customers-Allocate a small marketing budget
Third Tip
"Women 35 to 55" might be a start, but it's not enough. Create a detailed profile of your target customer. The more segments you can identify, the more potential hosts you can approach.
The women's clothing boutique that marketed to BMW owners, for example, determined that their likely customers drove certain types of cars, patronized a certain class of hair salon, belonged to a health club, and were likely to play bridge. A birdseed store might come up with a list that includes consumers who shop at outdoor equipment outfitters or are affiliated with local conservation groups.
Brad Sugars in entrepreneur.com
How to Get Customers-Position Yourself as the Answer
Fourth Tip
Give potential clients you come into contact with a good reason to try your services, which is your first step to making them loyal customers, suggests Jason Reis owner and lead programmer for Flehx Corp.
“Provide value and establish yourself as having an in-depth understanding of the problems they are looking to solve,” he says. “This takes the form of creating content via webinars, blog posts, guest blogging, and getting out there and physically networking with people. From all this you will start to attract a following, and as long as you have a structured sales funnel setup, you will be able to convert the followers/fans into paying customers.”
Julie Bawden Davis- American Express Open Forum
Fifth Tip
Allocate a small marketing budget, set goals, and diligently track your progress
You may be bootstrapping but getting the world to find and try your website or app isn't going to happen without at least a bit of investment. Set goals such as doubling your user numbers within 30 days or by a certain percentage.
"Whatever it is, you want to set targets and goals month over month, and you want to be tracking day to day,"
Inc.com
How to Get Customer- Measure Your Results
Sixth Tip
Measure your Marketing Efforts.You should measure for every dollar you spent what was the result. Discard what is not working and pursue what works.
Use the PDCA ( Plan- Do-Check-Act )Cycle Concept
Conclusion
The above six tips are not rocket science. They are all tried and tested method for acquiring customers. These are applicable both for product and service startups. Save your precious time and money and get off to a great start.
