Hi
Last week I bought my first iPhone. And not a fancy iPhone 6 or 6s but a good old iPhone 5s.
And I love it. But you knew that already, if you are a smartphone user, and are thinking 'What took you so long?'
Which got me thinking (which is
what Sundays are for) about what makes for your ideal customer? You see I am not Apple's ideal customer. I don't have every Apple device (I do have an iPad) and I don't upgrade to their latest release just because it's, well, their latest release. But I have friends and clients who do - now they are Apple's ideal customers.
But I was a Balckberry man and very happy with my Curve and small screen until I started having problems connecting to my email. That was the catalyst for
change.
Because in relation to technology I am a late adopter - at least half the population will buy a product before I do. I only want it to function and achieve its primary goals effectively and consistently. I haven't used my iPhone to take a photograph or listen to music and I probably never will. But I do expect it to make clear phone calls, connect to the Internet and deliver my emails.
So who is your ideal customer? How much thought have you given to exactly who and where
they are, who they hang out with, what they do in their spare time and what they read? Not that the answers to these questions alone are enough, but they do give you clues to what their buying habits may be. And what their catalyst to change will be.
And that information is gold. If only because you will bust the myth that most people buy on price. Not true. Most people buy to serve a
physical or emotional want and then they will rarely buy the cheapest product or service available.
That is the truth. And if it wasn't no one would buy and iPhone.
Thank about it.
Noel Guilford
PS Sunday isn't the only day for thinking, but proper deep thinking is rare, so if you don't make enough time for it during the week give it some quality time of Sunday.
Noel Guilford is the principal of Guilford Accounting a small business accountancy practice specialising in advising owner-managed businesses on current accounting, finance, and tax matters. You can reach him via email at noel@guilfordaccounting.co.uk or by phone at 01244 660866. He is the author of the best selling book 'Figure it out - an entrepreneurs guide to understanding your business numbers' which you can obtain by visiting http://guilfordaccounting.co.uk/figureit out. His forthcoming book 'Know your business numbers' will be published December.