Interestingly, when businesses contact our Orlando marketing agency, they have a pressing issue: Business is steady, but they’re often frustrated with the client base itself. Whether it’s the salon clients who don’t tip, the hotel guest who always complains so she can get a free upgrade or the consulting client who rarely pays on time, there is a common refrain – how do you attract and retain the best customers? It’s no misnomer that if you don’t diligently focus your branding and marketing efforts on finding good customers, you may end up with too many of the wrong type of customers. In addition to simply being a headache to you, the wrong type of customer may actually dilute the value of your business as a whole. [featured] Don't know what strategy is best for attracting customers? Let BIGEYE discover and define the right customers for you. Contact us today, and we will share our recommendations to guide your business for success! [/featured] Let’s talk about the “daily deals” industry, for instance. These limited-time offer sites capitalize on deal seekers, people who purchase tickets for a dinner or excursion that they may not have purchased without a special incentive. (In most cases, the opportunity for consumers is to pay less than full price.) The “daily deal” strategy works well for some businesses, as they may promote deals often because it’s what their target market loves. Big retailers such as Walmart and JCPenny both keep their customers returning by offering low prices and sales on everyday products. But the problem with some of these deal sites is that the deal-seeking customer can be detrimental for businesses in search of long-term clients rather than a one-off visitor. The person who comes in using a Groupon may not have much interest in returning to the restaurant, unless he or she can get another offer. In this example, the deal seeker just paid half-price for a meal, and may have done so with no intention of returning or spreading the word to other potential diners. In applying the “deal strategy” on a larger scale, you’ll notice all kinds of problematic customers. These are the types of people who shop in department stores for fancy dresses, wear them out for a night on the town, and then return them the next day (yes, people really do that!). Or, they might be the people who come into your restaurant and complain during every visit until their meals are comped. While it’s important to provide a great experience in hopes that customers engage in positive word-of-mouth marketing, it’s also necessary to consider whether your marketing efforts are attracting these “Debbie Downers”…and if so, how to change course. When evaluating whether you’re working with the right types of customers, focus on the 80/20 rule, which suggests that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. Essentially, this means that for many businesses, [quote]80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients[/quote] 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. The goal here should be to focus on the tactical strategies that drive that 80% of sales, rather than exhausting yourself trying to please those customers whose purchasing power makes up only 20%. If you’ve noticed that the quality of your customer base is on the decline, contact our Florida marketing agency for strategic direction. We can assist you in determining how to target your marketing efforts toward the right customers with the right message.