Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Know Your Target Market

You know what you’re looking for, it’s that big ole’ buck. You know, the one that keeps evading you season after season.  You have got your weapon of choice, your ammunition prepped, you are dressed appropriately and ready to go. You have set the feed out, but no matter how hard you look he just doesn’t show. Then one day you’re out on the trail, when you see two hunters, one already with his trophy. You watch them carefully. They seem to be doing everything you’re doing, except this guy sets out kernel corn, not the popcorn that you’ve been using to lure your target. You watch while a buck wanders over to check it out and wham the trophy is his.  Ever feel like that in your business?
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You think you’ve done everything correctly to market your process service business. You have placed all your ads, handed out business cards to every attorney you know, your social media sites have been populated with written or shared informational and/or fun posts with all the latest, greatest news you think attorneys would want to hear. But your phone is not ringing quite as often as you’d like. Maybe you need to rethink your target market.
Yes, attorneys are your end users, the ones who foot the bill, who keep process servers employed. Your target market, however, are the ones who hire you to serve process. These people are your true clients.  And if you want to have a successful business you should know all you can about your clients. Learn how to maximize this knowledge. Understand the needs of your client; sharpen your mind to appreciate these people, individually an d as a group, and the value they bring to your business.  
As a process service business, you are most likely going to be dealing with legal assistants; secretaries, paralegals and legal assistants. So what do you really know about this group of individuals? I mean besides the fact that they work for attorneys. What is their age, are they mostly female or are there any males in this group? My experience has taught me that for the most part a legal assistant is female, mid 30s with a paralegal background.
Okay, so what can I do with this knowledge?   
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First, make it a point to get to know the person. Don’t think of them only in terms of what they can bring to your business. Think of them as a person who works as hard as you do and who, like you, wants to be appreciated for their efforts. Then appreciate them. Drop them a card (not an email) telling them to have a nice day, nothing more, nothing less. Occasionally, think about including a $5.00 coffee house gift card. Pay them a friendly visit. I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by and say hello. Be careful not to get too friendly or become stalker-like. Be professional, be genuinely nice. Occasionally, bring them some donuts, chocolates or something similar.
What will this accomplish you ask. The answer is a business relationship.
When you do business with someone it is usually because you, or someone who has referred you, have a relationship with someone in that business.  So your first steps to a solid connection with your target market are:
1.      Know who your target market is and understand as much about them as you can.
2.      Build a relationship with the members of your target market.
Next, how to network with your target market.
Thanks for reading. I always appreciate any and all comments.
Looking for more? Check out my two books; The Business End of Process Service, Running a Process Service Company from the Ground Up or CounterSpy, The Industrial Counter-Surveillance Manual, both available on Amazon.com

1 comment:

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