As successful strategies work in the digital space, we learn hard-core lessons about identifying real customers. Based on their buying pattern, an ideal profile is carefully made to target others. Because of myths surrounding their specific characteristics, at times, strategies do not bring desired results. ‘If a customer complains he may not return’ is precisely a myth. People prefer to deal with only established companies is also taken for granted.
Why not get real and converse on a 1-to-1 basis? Your next ICP icon could be a real decision-maker or key influencer.
Angry customers: Do they count?
Social media has naturally made it easy for customers to complain – be it passengers suffering a flight delay or diners at a restaurant, a leading company that orders software products, or a manufacturing firm that looks for raw materials from multiple vendors.
Tolerance levels are low, and complaints often make their way via social posts, live chats on constructive feedback with sales bots on the website and other platforms. They complain typically range from inferior product quality to lack of response by the staff or poor knowledge of service and after sales support.
In specific cases your company has a series of complaining, the team should be alert to adequately handle them or risk losing business to close rivals. One way is to prune the email marketing database or mark out the complainants.
Myth 1: Do angry consumers turn their back?
If your sales team has correctly solved the pain points in the past, there is no possible reason why an upset buyer will not return. When you re-create the next important customer profile, such patrons will provide a distinct pattern to fix the gaps.
Take a stock of the complaints being made and carefully evaluate the reasons. What do the whines reveal about the direct challenges you face? Are they realistically expecting you to change the product quality, upgrade it or improve the support system?
When you respond promptly to feedbacks of these patrons (who are real), your perfect profile guidelines will alter. Angry people always share complains with others and it is bound to affect your direct sales. Don’t take them for granted. Get the drift?
Ideal customer Vs Real customer
The dashboard on the wall often has specific details of the dream buyer who never complains. Out of the ten high profile clients your serve, there may be one or two that fit the bill perfectly. But the others fall short of the perfection. Why?
Perhaps, you have aimed too high and turned away from reality. The ICP should be as real as possible and you can easily buy email list to make fresh contacts. Build a draft that recognizes the ‘real customer’ and not just be an idealistic one and break the myth that both could be the same.
Myth 2: The Ideal profile is same as the actual customer.
You may have made the mistake of confusing the ideal customer with the real one in the past. Learn the valuable lesson and move on with a better preparation. This year, the marketing plans should properly include the unique characteristics of the actual customer.
Check your email database for focusing on the right people. He could be a key decision maker who has provided a negative feedback or practical suggestion on the orders being placed. There could be one or two such social influencers mentioned in the draft.
Think also about this: If someone is still doing business with you then it is beyond the social nuances and local demographics. As long as you efficiently deliver, it does not matter whether you are new in the market or established. Hmm, this is another classic myth being busted.
