Know Your Customer: Customer Identification and Targeting

Recently updated on November 21st, 2017 at 01:05 am

Demographics provides data on income, industry, marital status, family status, and location. Psychographics gives us some insight into fears, values, and other “touchy/feely” characteristics.

But to be able to communicate more effectively with your target, it’s time to factor in the personality type. This methodology helps us understand the preferences a person has regarding organization, time management, and productivity strategies.

This will summon a lexicon that will help make your copy speak to them. How your product or service will solve their problems and how much better off they will be from their relationship to you and your company in an understandable and believable way.

1. The Problem Solver
This personality type loves to wrestle with problems and come up with creative solutions. They’re the “hands-on,” “learn-by-doing” type that frequently gets caught up in an interesting project and completely loses track of the time.

Problem Solvers want more than just a plug-and-play solution. When communicating with them, provide complete explanations of all the features and benefits in your product, and then let them know how they’ll have the opportunity to learn by doing in the process of solving the problem. Include background theory and information, because your Problem Solvers want to know all the minute details.

2. The Controller
Controllers are natural-born organizers. They also thrive within a structured environment. They don’t care at all for uncertainty or surprise. The Controller is the one everyone depends on when there’s an event to be planned, a schedule to be created, or a mountain of paperwork to be organized.

Controllers regularly accomplish acts of organization that amaze those around them, but without a planner and a to-do list, they’re unhappy campers.  Communicate with a Controller by informing them of exactly what to expect and when to expect it.

Fully explain all of the reasons your solution is better than any other alternative available. Remember to provide testimonials. Controllers will be wary without evidence of successful adoption by others.

Include step-by-step instructions and checklists to help build trust with Controllers and you’ll earn their loyalty

3. The Diplomat
Diplomats live to make connections and please people. They want everyone around them to be happy, comfortable and satisfied. Diplomats thrive on human interaction. They relish the opportunity to spend time with a friend or coworker who needs consoling.

Diplomats love to “save the day” and be recognized as the hero. When communicating with them, it’s a good idea to emphasize the personal attention they’ll receive as a result of using your product or service.

If your company is active in the Social Media arena, tell them about the many avenues of interaction available to them. Paint a picture of all the various people they’ll be able to serve and to help thanks to your product or service, and they’ll see themselves as the leaders they consider themselves to be.

4. The Bottom Liners
Success-driven, goal-oriented individuals, Bottom Liners tend to cut to the chase. They want to know the bottom line. Give them summaries and numbers – they don’t have the patience for elaborate or lengthy explanations.

While Bottom Liners have the ability to see the big picture, dealing with all of the small details isn’t their strong suit. Communicating with Bottom Liners must be concise. Fluff and puffery won’t cut it. In fact, the use of bullet points is a great way to tell your prospect exactly what you want them to know.

Charts and graphs that can be understood in seconds are excellent tools to convince Bottom Liners that your product or service is the ideal choice. Bottom Liners will value your ability to pass along valuable information quickly and effectively.

What’s the point?
By writing to your prospect’s personality, you can connect with them on a level that most of your competitors overlook. And the result is sales and a long-term business relationship.