Deciding On Your Best Customer

 I’m writing this around the holidays, and I imagine, like many of you, the time away from the office is only sort of “out of office.” Your gears are always turning. Personally, I find that the time away from my desk brings more big-picture questions to the surface.

With the New Year lurking just one week after December 25th, we have a unique slingshot of sorts. First, the time away from our desks. We get to take a step back and think about the year we’ve had and the one coming up. Then we hit January 1st, and our annual goal setting begins anew (or maybe you started 3 months ago).

One CRITICAL question lies at the core of our grand plans. 

If we don’t answer it, we can stunt our growth for the next 12 months. Get it right, and you have taken the first step toward incredible, growth-driving synergy.

The question: “Who is our best customer?”

Why you haven’t answered this question yet…

In established B2B businesses (meaning ones with some history), I often see owners confuse their best customers with their historically largest ones. The mentality is, "This is who we've always served—and it's gotten us this far!"

Or maybe things are great, and you haven’t had time to answer the question. "Well, business is booming. We're just trying to take in all the orders!"

Or "Well, times are tough. We can't turn anything down."

Look, I get each of these mindsets. In each one, the owner is just trying to do right by their business. Even still, there's the danger of not deciding who your ideal customer is (in times of feast or famine...)

Why you need to answer this question…

When businesses aren't laser-focused on their best customers, they are NEVER as healthy and profitable as they could be.

Wow, isn't that kind of drastic, Jose?

I can tell you, after 18 years of being a growth consultant, it's not. Here's the reality.

Your best customer is one that brings you the kind of business you're exceptional at—so you can create a real advantage in your market.

Your best customer is the one who sees the value in what you do and how you do it—not just in your prices. Your best customer is one that your team enjoys working with—not one that makes them want to leave.

This is why when you decide on them—when you decide to FOCUS on them—you're doing the best thing you can do for your business long-term. 

It doesn't mean you have to stop taking any other orders. And it doesn't mean you have to drop your historic customers. But it does mean that you must start being intentional about who you're building your business around going forward.

To find your answer, try one of these.

Every company’s best customer is different. Finding yours is a process based on principles. You might find that your biggest customers are NOT your best! Especially when we ask questions like:

1. Who forces you to adapt your processes to serve them?
2. Who uses their buying power to squeeze your margins?
3. Who sees you as a commodity instead of a premium value?

If you want to get to the heart of your question, here are a few resources that should help:

1. The Top 4 Financial Attributes of an Ideal Customer
2. Podcast: How to Choose Your Best Customers with Justin Quinn

Or, better yet, if you’re tired of spinning your wheels – grab a free strategy session with me. During this call, we'll sort out who you've been going after—and who you should be going after for profitable business growth on purpose.

Schedule Your Free Session

We specialize in helping owner-led B2B companies with $2M-$20M in revenue who want to get unstuck in their revenue growth. If that’s you, I’m confident you’ll find a TON of value in our conversation.