To Increase Clients, Consider Four Different Kinds of Customers

By Joni Inman, ActionCOACH Business Coach with ActionCOACH Team Empowerment, and CWCC Member

If you want to increase clients and get more business, you need to think about four different kinds of customers. There are four different kinds of customers in every business. The first customer is you, the business owner. You are actually the most important customer in your business. In every customer relationship there is value that is exchanged for a good, or product, or service. First and foremost, your business has to serve you. And if you’re not a raving fan of your own business you really can’t expect anyone else to be a raving fan and help you get more business. You must be the first raving fan in your business, since you’re exchanging your time and your energy for profit. So you are your first customer.

The second customer in your business is your team. Your team has to believe in what your selling. Depending on the size of your business, your team members could be directly responsible for 30-40 end users or more in your business. If your team isn’t happy, they are not good extensions of you. If you haven’t chosen your team members well, the end user won’t have a good experience. You must serve your team by injecting energy, commitment, education and gratitude into those relationships. If you want to get more business and increase clients, choose your team right, invest in them, and show appreciation.

The third customer of your business is the supplier. You are their customer, right? You buy the medical supplies from them, you buy the office supplies from them, and you buy the toilet paper from them. But truthfully they are one of your customers. They expect you to pay them on time, and you must service them. If your suppliers are happy they’re going to end up being raving fans of yours. There’s nothing more powerful than having businesses that are dependent upon you being your advocates out in the world. They’re dealing with other businesses; they’re talking about you just as everybody else is. It’s in their best interest to help you increase clients, because when you get more business, so do they!

Finally we have the end users: your customers, clients, patients or guests. You have a product that we’re selling, a service that you’re providing and you know what to do with them. You have something they want, they pay you money and you give it to them. That’s the easy one right? Not always. But you may not be the only provider of your service. You might not be the only game in town that has legal services, or the only veterinarian, or medical doctor. You might not be the only business in the world that sells shoes. So why do they come to you? Customers (end users) primarily buy experience. They come to you because of their experience with you.

When you find a potential customer or client, you must discover what it is that they want. And then sell them what they need. They come to you because they think they need something. They need a new pair of shoes. They need to have a will written. They need vaccinations for their cat. They need things. We know what they need, and a lot of people can provide what they need. But through asking the questioning you can figure out what they want. People buy based on an emotional response. If you ask enough questions you’ll know that they probably want less stress or more feelings of satisfaction. They might not just need a pair of shoes, they might want comfort or they might want a new image. Understanding what they want that is key to your ability to increase clients and get more business. If you can fulfill the need and the want, you have made them happy in one transaction. If you can fulfill an emotional need and want, you can create a relationship that will last forever.

Business Coach Joni Inman was Rookie of the Year Americas in the world’s largest business coaching organization, ActionCOACH Business Coaching. She has 30 years of experience in business and leadership. To learn more about how to get referrals, increase clients, get more business and make your business profitable, contact Joni Inman at http://www.actioncoachempowerment.com.