So recently I came across this nasty exchange on Facebook between a seller and a customer on Facebook marketplace.
The seller had made it clear there are no home deliveries for the product.
The customer did not see it (or perhaps didn’t want to see it) and kept demanding for the product to get delivered to their home.
Back and forth, expletive here and there… it went on for quite a while.
The customer then finally agreed to go pick the product up themselves… but only on the condition that they get a discount for their trouble.
At this point, the seller just ended the conversation and blocked the customer.
Absurd as this all may seem, this is far more common than you think.
This kind of trouble-making customer is what I’ve heard jokingly called “the nightmare customer.”
For example, there are people in a few marketing groups who speak of serial refunders. People who routinely buy, while planning to refund as soon as they get access to the products. Leaving a burning hole in the profits after dealing with the refund fees.
Or worse…
Serial charge-backers. These ones will tear any business' bottom line apart by demanding charge backs from their banks, whether refunds are allowed or not in the terms of sale.
Or how about this:
Customers who make running a business challenging by bombarding it with a storm of support tickets… for stuff anyone with a bit of common sense should be able to take care of!
There is even the occasional case of a customer demanding a discount for whatever bogus reason they can make up!
Now all that being said… it all boils down to this:
The quality of the customer you attract is just as important as the quantity of customers in your business.
Think of the two as being both sides of the client acquisition coin.
One cannot really function without the other.
Whether you’re buying ads, relying on affiliate networks, or trying to use organic keywords in your strategy…
Or even for something like growing your email list...
A list of high quality subscribers who are proven buyers, is better than a low quality list of readers who don't buy from you.
Now there are a few ways you control the type of customer you attract
Here's a starter pack to get the ball rolling:
1- Your pricing:
Believe it or not, how you price your product has a direct influence on the kind of customers you attract.
While cheaper offers have more mass appeal, they tend to attract lower quality customers.
This is why expensive restaurants are priced as such.
It's a way to "low key" filter their customers.
Try to key in on the price ranges your customers associate with “high market” and “low market”... then pick a price bracket where you feel you’ll have the perfect balance between the kind of customer you have to deal with… and the sales they bring.
2- Your traffic source:
Not all traffic is made equal. Some sources are just plain bad for business. For example, you'll find that some traffic networks source their audiences from less flattering corners of the internet.
If you’re using affiliate traffic, some affiliates will claim to have large lists, but often you’ll find the list has hardly any engagement, and barely any buyers.
Give your traffic sources a good look before committing to any of them. Try to figure out how well the traffic converts. See if the customers don’t give you any problems in a test. Try to weed out traffic sources which bring in a storm of refunders, and troublesome customers.
3- Positioning:
This one is less obvious than the other two.
If you look at the large brands in the world… you’ll notice how these brands have a certain “identity” they give to their customers. High market brands attract a much higher caliber of customers than low market brands.
You can see this demonstrated, for example, by how Apple is used by most professionals in the creative fields.
Positioning yourself as a high end brand is one way to attract a more elite type of customer. This is much like how you can compare the average customer for a Rolls Royce, and the average customer for most other consumer brands.
Try to think of your brand in terms how your customer sees it. Do you want to be seen as a “Honda” in your market… or do you want to be seen as the “Rolls Royce”?
Now while this is not an exhaustive list, it does give you a good foundation to consider.
Each of these points, when applied will help you attract the highest quality customer possible for your business.
To Your Success!
Steve.
Master Online Entrepreneur
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