As a business owner, you probably know that every company wants life-long customers. However, finding these “dream customers” may prove a bit difficult if you are unsure of where to look or how to qualify leads. Following are a few tips that can make it much easier to spot your best customer:
Evaluate Your Marketing Efforts
One of the first things to do to identify your best customer is to understand where the potential customer came from. If you can track the source of the lead, you can allocate the necessary time and resources to activities that generate the largest number of responses.
Review the Scope of Work
After you determine where the customer came from, it is important to find out whether he or she really needs your services. You can accomplish this by asking the customer to explain the work he or she needs completed in detail so you can make sure you can provide everything the customer needs.
Eliminate the Tire-kickers
One of the most important steps in finding your ideal customer is to eliminate those who do not require your services immediately (the tire-kickers). Understanding a potential buyer’s sense of urgency is essential in determining whether he or she is likely to make a purchase or simply wants to know more about your services or products.
Determine the Customer’s Budget
One essential question to ask when you interview a potential buyer is the amount of money he or she expects to invest in your services or products, since this ensures you are on the same page with the customer and that he or she is willing to invest the necessary amount. Even if a customer does not have the budget necessary to purchase your services or products initially, this does not mean you cannot convince him or her of the importance of hiring you to complete the project.
When it comes to qualifying leads for your business, evaluating your marketing efforts, reviewing the scope of work at hand, and identifying the customer’s sense of urgency and budget can help you spot people who can truly benefit from your services or products. Keep in mind that, as a business owner, time is your most valuable asset, so it is important to only go on appointments with qualified prospects.
