Customers Are Like Birds – Part 1

If you are an avid bird-watcher or have ever gone bird-watching with one, then  you know how important a birding field guide is to finding and identifying each and every bird species. A typical field guide is well-worn, a bit dog-eared and filled with notes about bird sightings. Most of all, it provides a great overview of the looks, behavior, songs and habitat preferences of each bird species within a certain geographic area, say the Eastern US. If you are a birder, you would never go on a trip without a field guide handy.

Customers are like birds, too! They often defy identification and often don't offer much help in your search for more like them. They come and go, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs, and sometimes in flocks. Customers don't live in Pet Stores waiting for you to ooh and aah over them before deciding which one to purchase. Rather, they are the prize of the well-informed, persistent and industrious.

Because customers are like birds, a good business must be as avid about researching customer behaviors, needs and networking patterns as a birder is about finding new species to add to a Life List. It stands to reason that for a business to consistently discover new customers, it must create a Field Guide for Customers based on the keen observations of its best customers.

Why the best customers? The answer may be obvious but it still merits some attention. Your best customers are ones you've had tremendous success with, either by selling them products or providing services that have made an important enough difference in their lives that they come back for more. Your best customers value your contributions in most every form. They are loyal, pay on time and willingly provide referrals. They don't even mind paying a premium, or at least a fair value, for what they consider a positive, perhaps even a fantastic, customer experience. They are, above all, your most profitable customers. So why not base your search criteria on customers like these?

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Customers Are Like Birds: How to Create a Field Guide for Customers!