Behind these options lies the question of strategy and tactics, and their projection into the future. The definition of the ideal customer does not exist in a definitive way, it corresponds to a precise objective at a given moment.
In other words, the description of the ideal customer is a multi-level and dynamic analysis over time.
The ideal customer, a strategic point of view
Depending on the current strategy and the objective pursued, the value of each client will vary according to its potential to meet this objective. We recently worked with an SME that was looking to strengthen its market and was in the process of conquering it, which led to the creation of a specific ideal customer, different from the one corresponding to a loyalty strategy, for example. Does the company wish to develop its offer on a new market? To develop a new offer? On a new segment?... As we can see, before talking about the ideal customer, it is necessary to specify its strategy.
In order to define its strategic positioning as well as possible, it is first necessary to take into account the company's assets in each of the potential market segments: its know-how, its brand image, its product range, the quality of its commercial relations, its ability to control prices, deadlines, the suitability of the sales force... In a second step, it is necessary to cross-reference these with the attractiveness criteria of each of the identified segments (opportunities, constraints, potential turnover, profitability, intensity of competition, etc.) in order to be able to define the tactical approach.
The ideal client, a tactical approach
Strategy is the overall plan, tactics is the adaptation to the field. Once the target segment has been identified and the prospect/customer portfolio established, a more detailed segmentation can be carried out to help you plan your actions.
The approach we call the "Sales Model " at Kestio allows, within a strategic segment, to specify "tactical" segments according to the "value" of the target accounts.
The ideal customer, or more precisely the customer value, is the result of a learned formula, according to variables specific to the company, its activity, its market, its ambition at the time, which makes it possible to better prioritise the accounts, and thus to define and pilot in the best conditions the distribution of the marketing and sales effort.
From customers that sales people need to visit at least twice a month to customers who are simply going to be dealt with remotely, a scale is being set up according to customer value, to deal with the whole market with the level of investment required to get a ROI.
At Kestio Live, we tend to talk not about the ideal customer, but about THE ideal customers!
To learn more about targeting and building a customer file, you can also watch our webinar:
- Source: Invox
- : Social Media Guidelines, Orange, http://www.orange.com/sirius/smg/FR_Guides_Medias_Sociaux.pdf
