Ground,Zero,Targeting,Every,bu marketing Ground Zero Targeting!

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Every business has a "Ground Zero Target", meaning the ideal customer groupthat you should be targeting in your marketing efforts.I have met small business owners who actually have never taken the time toknow who their customers are, what they want or where they could be found.They just take anybody who comes their way and are grateful for thebusiness. Their marketing strategies, if they have any, fails for the mostpart, because they don't know who they are supposed to be targeting or theytarget to wide of a market to be effective. They are doing business, butcould be doing it so much better by finding and targeting the ideal group ofcustomers. I want to be sure you take the time to know who your customersare and if you are targeting the right group.What we're going to do today is give you the help to classify these customergroups and hopefully make it a little clearer what type of customer groupshould be your Ground Zero Target. Take some time and decide which ofthese groups are most important to you and your business. assign them avalue say from 1 to 10, 10 being the most valuable, one being the leastvaluable. You can also add your own classifications to the list. Somethingthat is important to your business.Make a list of the type of customers you are currently targeting. Now comesthe hard part. I want you to take a break, clear your mind and begin tothink of other groups of customers that could benefit from yourservice/product. If you are having trouble coming up with other customergroups, don't rush it. Put it away until later. Take all the time you need.When you are finished (for now, because more may pop up later) compare themto the classification list and add up the value of each classification thatfits that customer group.# ) They Have To Be Able To Afford You. There is no point in targeting acustomer group who can't afford your service/product. A good example is alocal company I found was targeting This is the group that has a budget setaside for the product you are marketing. They know that that will be buying,they just don't know it's from you.# ) You Have Already Earned Their Respect. In this group you have thecustomer who is familiar with you and your services or products, andhopefully satisfied with the services and/or products you provide. You havegained their respect and their trust. They will seek you out again, if theyneed you.# ) Little Or No Competition. You will find that the more you look, themore possible customer groups you can find for your service or product. Youmay find a that their is a piece of the market that most of your competitorshave passed by or missed.# ) They Want The Best. This is the customer group who will pay the extrabuck for the best product or service they can get. You will always have thecustomer group who will buy conservatively and the group who is willing topay through the nose as long as the know (or think) they're getting thebest.# ) Geography Is Important To Some. If your customer group is local, thisis more than likely your number 10 here. There's no point in advertising tothe world if you only service the surrounding communities. Do you onlyhandle a local clientelle? Do you have to? There are some companies thatremain small local companies because they have not yet opened their marketto a larger audience, who often turn out to be the better target.# ) The Quantity Of Customers In This Group. Even if you have found theideal target group there is no point in marketing to a group of customerswho will to soon be exhausted. Make sure you have the quantity of possiblecustomers in this group to support your efforts.# ) You Can Reach This Group Easily. You want a group that you can exposeyour efforts to easily and often. You want to have a way of reaching yourtarget group. Is this group seeing your promotion material, youradvertising? Are they seeing enough of it? Is there a way to better reachthis group than what you are doing now?# ) References. If you had to choose, would you take on a large projectfor an unknown or new company, rather than a small job for a company who isprominently known for what they do? I hope you said the smaller job. Word ofmouth from prominent business owners or managers can be a major boost ingetting your business where you want it to be.# ) They Don't Know It Yet, But They Need You. The group of people whoneed your product or service, just have to make them aware that they needyou. You have to have a group of people you know that really need what youhave. You may have your group that you are already targeting. Are you surethis is the group of people who need your service/product the most?# ) They Need You And They Know They Need You. This is the group who hasyour service/product already on their mind, they just haven't found you yet.All you need to do is introduce your business and service/product. They areready to buy, it's just the matter of proving yourself and yourseervice/product is what they are looking for.After it is all said and done, you should have one group of customers whocome out on top. This is the group your marketing efforts should be focusedon. Consider the business you get from the other groups gravy on your plate.This is one of many exercises I have picked up. Remember, Marketing is anexact science and treating it as such will take you far.Happy Marketing Article Tags: Ground Zero, Don't Know, Customer Group