“I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand!”
Charles M Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, made a very good point with the above statement. Working with people can certainly be challenging.
If you are running a business, this doesn’t matter. Every person is a potential, valued customer, and should be treated as such. How do you handle different types of customers?
Read on.
10 types of customers and how to to satisfy every type of customer
The lookers
These are the people who are in need of your service, but they are still checking things out. They are looking at what you have to offer, and they are checking out your competitors as well, in order to draw comparisons.
What should you do?
You need something that makes you stand out from the rest. Something that will guarantee that the lookers bring their business to you instead of your competitor.
Ensure that your website and social media content offers value to your customers, and shows them that outstanding customer service is your priority.
Furthermore, your website needs to be user-friendly and easily takes your customer to where they need to go. No one has time to struggle with clumsy websites, and they will simply move on to the next one.
Bargain hunters
These customers permanently have their eyes peeled for a bargain. They are looking to score and can’t resist a good special.
Odds are they won’t be interested in your product unless they feel that they are getting a great deal. If the deal is good enough, they might purchase something they don’t necessarily need at that point.
How to approach them
This customer will appreciate a personalised approach and seeing that you are going out of your way to offer him a deal that he can’t resist.
When interacting with this person, focus on the value your product will add to his life. Help him to feel like he is getting his money’s worth, and more.
Investigate the most cost-efficient ways to bring these customers exclusive offers. These can include things like buy one, get one free or free shipping when spending a certain amount.
Researchers
They are almost like the lookers, except they take it a bit further. A good deal or a professional website won’t be enough to convince them to do business with you.
They like to make informed decisions. They will know the product they are looking for and will compare specifications and other detailed information.
They will also look at reviews written by your past customers – they want to know everything.
More and more customers are becoming researchers. Information is freely available, and in tough times people want to make sure they don’t waste their money on inferior service and/or products.
How to approach them
Indulge their need for knowledge. You have to be an expert in your field and know everything there is to know about your product, in order to engage with the researcher.
Also, remember to load those testimonials onto your social media platforms. Do not lose out to the competitor who has this in place.
Impulsive customers
Polar opposite of the researchers, these guys had no plan to purchase from you at all, and will decide to do so in the spur of the moment.
How to approach them
Since you won’t be able to identify them before they make a purchase, you need to be at the top of your game at all times. Ensure that the buying process is easy and hassle-free.
Special offers that are time sensitive work well with this type of customer.
Unsure customers
Customers like this are similar to the lookers, but less certain of what they want. They will do a lot of looking, while battling to make up their minds.
How to approach them
A bit of patience will come in handy. These customers want to make double sure before they part with their money.
In your interactions with them, propose unique solutions and guide them every step of the way. As always, provide flawless customer service.
Looking-to-switch customers
This is a customer who made use of one of your competitors, but are unhappy with them and looking for better options. They are ready to do business, all you need to do is make sure they pick you.
How to approach them
In order to win this customer’s loyalty, you obviously need to be better than the previous company they used. This means you need to know your competitors inside out.
Determine where they are lacking in service, and ensure that you have the things they lack in place in your business.
In terms of the customer, find out what problems they experienced, so that you can be ready with the solutions. Help them understand why you are the better option.
All the customers in the above categories have something in common: they have not yet made a purchase from you. Your focus is therefore to convince them that you offer the best on the market.
Next, let’s take a look at the next kind of customer: those who have made a purchase. Now the focus shifts to ways to ensure their loyalty, and thus, future business.
New customers
These are the people who have just made their first purchase. It might even be the first time they’ve had to purchase the product in question, and they might be unsure of how to go about using it.
How to handle them
This is your opportunity to pull out all the stops and show them just how awesome you are. Ensure that their experience with you is an easy, pleasant one.
Guide them through your buying process and always remember to be appreciative – customers love to feel like they are valued.
Repeat customers
These are the customers that keep supporting your business, but only once in a while when they need something.
How to handle them
Keep them interested by keeping your offer up to date. Stay in touch with your industry and stay updated with market trends, as well as what your competitors are doing.
Another option is to create exclusive deals that are only available to repeat customers.
Active customers
This is the customer that is responsible for the majority of your profit. They actively and regularly make use of your offer, however, they are not necessarily loyal.
The catch with this kind of customer is that they can also be your biggest critic. They know your brand well, and they will know when they are getting something below standard, in which case they will switch.
Taking good care of these customers will ensure the longevity of your business.
How to handle them
Do not make the easy mistake of ignoring these customers because they are already spending money with you.
Continually engage with them. Determine what goals they are trying to reach by using your product, and guide them towards reaching those goals.
The golden rule is that it’s always cheaper to keep your current customers happy than it is to attract new ones or to fight for the ones you already lost.
Unhappy customers
These customers have purchased from you, but they are disappointed with their experience.
These customers might be angry and the most unpleasant to deal with, but it’s vital that you do just that if you want to keep them.
How to handle them
The best plan is to catch problems as soon as humanly possible, allowing yourself to solve them while the customer is still slightly disgruntled and not full-on furious yet.
You will find these customers by keeping a keen eye on customer service complaints, cancelled subscriptions, negative comments on social media and the like.
Do not try to hide from angry customers. Actively follow up with them. Listen to their complaints, try to understand their viewpoint. Then, solve their problem as soon as possible.
With all types of customers, your goal is to remain top of mind long after the customer’s last transaction with you.
If you do this successfully, you will end up with loyal customers, referring customers, and customers that advocate for you. This is what you want, because word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool.
Loyal customers are your fans, and they will stick around as long as you do. Referring customers will spread the word about your brand, and advocates will take that a step further.
They will give you a shoutout on social media, offer testimonials, and generally take effort to let others know about your exceptional service. So how do you keep these very special customers happy?
It’s simple. They already like you. All you need to do is to never drop your standards, not even by a measly centimetre.
Conclusion
There is one indisputable fact that remains relevant no matter what type of customer you are dealing with: service is king.
Go out of your way, bend over backwards and walk the extra mile. In the end, the results will speak for themselves.
