Process for finding customers

Most entrepreneurs and sales specialists agree that the process of finding good customers is the most complex for a new business. This means that all new ventures must put a lot of effort into gaining this clientele. The process of attracting customers is complex and very extensive, and I will show you how to do it little by little.

You must keep in mind that most customers will not make a purchase at the first contact, that is why you must develop effective strategies to assist you in maintaining this relationship, and ensure the sale.

Steps to find customers

The process of finding customers has become more complex over the years, so a good entrepreneur must adapt and adjust his promotion and sales techniques to transform potential customers into real consumers of his products or services. You must remember that the steps for the customer acquisition process are not fixed and inflexible, it is a process that is constantly changing, and the techniques you use today may be outdated tomorrow. Here are the steps to follow in order to build your plan to find customers.

Analyze your competitors

Prior to forming your customer acquisition plan, it is highly recommended that you analyze what your competitors are doing to attract customers. Visit their websites and social media profiles to discover their strategies. Check their customer services and read their customer reviews.

Examine their prices and their products or services. This way you can identify what their advantages and weaknesses are. You can also get an idea of their methods of attracting customers and what ways they use to communicate with them. You can check if they use techniques such as:

• E-mailing campaigns.

• Publication of quality content at no cost.

• Quotes made by their own salespeople.

• Regular postings on social platforms.

The methods that are used by the competition and their results, will serve you as a powerful tool to replicate what works and avoid what doesn't.

Know your target audience

Having a detailed knowledge of who your best customer is will allow you to customize your prospecting techniques to more effectively engage your customers. This is a vital step in properly targeting your advertising efforts. For this you must take into account several aspects:

• Identification of their problems and needs.

• Age ranges.

• Profession.

• Lifestyles.

• Motivations.

Define your proposal

When you have defined the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors in the sector and your target audience, you must then put together a value proposition using that information. For this purpose you will use these elements:

• What does your company do?

• What is your specialization?

• What is the main advantage of your product or service?

• Who is your target customer?

• What are your advantages over your competitors?

Drawing up a promotion plan

Once you have defined your value proposition, you must then delineate what marketing strategy you want to focus on to attract your customers. You should write down the detailed process you will use, which should include:

• The specific objectives to be achieved.

• Strategies and techniques you plan to use.

• Time frame in which you are going to put them into use.

• Budget to be used in each one.

• The means and resources you will need.

Strategies for finding customers

In order to attract and keep new customers, there are many strategies and techniques. I would not have the time to explain them all. You should take the time and research as many of these techniques as possible so that you can choose the one that is most useful for your business. Here are some of the strategies that exist so you can get a general idea.

Increase your online positioning

In this digital world, having a strong online presence is almost a must if you want your company to thrive and attract as many customers as possible. Almost all users and potential customers, when they feel the need for a product or service, the first thing they do is search on Google.

That is why it is essential that your business is one of the first results that the customer gets, as this way you exponentially increase the possibility of entering your website. For this you use SEO tools or search engine optimization, which allow you to improve your visibility when customers search for products or services associated with your business.

There are many of these tools on the Internet, both free and paid. It is up to you to evaluate which one is more affordable for your needs. Here are some of them:

• Free

• Answer The Public

• Moz

• Majestic

• SEOQuake

• Google Keyword Planner

Paid:

• SEMRush

• Ahrefs

• SE Ranking

• KWFinder

• Keywords Everywhere

Join groups in your market segment

One of the ways you can use to gain more visibility and attract new consumers is to join groups or communities with similar interests to your business. This will allow you to learn more about the market in which you operate in order to acquire fresh ideas that you can use in your business.

You can do this through online groups of any kind or, as I recommend, in person, since this way you foster better ties with your peers.

Make the most of your social platforms

Social networks are undoubtedly a gigantic customer niche, since most of the inhabitants of the planet use at least one of them. That is why you should not neglect your social networks and not only keep them active, but also in constant evolution and expansion.

Used in a proper way and with a well-defined strategy, social platforms could become one of the main sources of new customers for your company. Thanks to this, you could increase your sales and position your brand more effectively. Some social media strategies can generate large amounts of traffic to your website, if you have one. Some of the most recommended social platforms with the best potential to attract customers are:

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

• Facebook

• Youtube

Use e-mail promotion

Using email marketing strategy is one of the most effective ways to attract customers without using paid advertising. Use as one of the requirements when visiting your website, that the e-mail is entered.

This way you can run e-mailing campaigns where you convert prospects into real customers.

Stand out from the competition

Remember that almost all markets are very saturated with companies offering the same products or services. That is why you must make a great effort to stand out from the crowd of competitors.

To achieve this you must first analyze the competition, as I mentioned above, and use the weaknesses you found as the main differentiator of your business. Stand out as the company that meets the needs of your customers without the disadvantages of your competitors.