When you’re just getting started as a small business owner, you need customers. But getting customers isn’t as simple as just wanting them. New businesses, which might be in direct competition with your business, are starting every day. With so many small businesses competing for the same customers’ attention and business, you need to stand out if you want your business to do well. Creating great customer experiences is one way to draw customers away from your competitors. But that “great experience” might look different depending on the customer.
Different kinds of customers come with different challenges and benefits—and different experience expectations for your business. To help you learn how to navigate each and get your business off the ground, we’ve put together a list of the most common types of customers—along with techniques to handle each.
The Philosopher
Do they want to buy from your business? Does your business meet their needs? Do they even know what their needs are? This indecisive customer is all questions—and few answers. For Philosophers, providing sufficient information can help them convert, but not always.
There are a few ways to handle a Philosopher. First, you need to come bearing answers. Guide them through the areas they don’t understand and show them the worth of your offering. Give out more details and direct them to a landing page if you have a website, or a case study for more information if you don’t. Then, pull the curtain back.
Pulling the curtain back and entering into a personal discussion makes Philosophers feel that they can trust you. These are truth-seekers, so pulling down the sales facade can make them more comfortable. Advise them and answer their questions. Chat live with them even if you have automated onboarding. It doesn’t matter if they buy immediately or sometime in the future, just give them the response they are seeking.
Philosophers ask questions because they’re interested and that interest can easily turn into a purchase, but it doesn’t always. Knowing when the Philosopher is merely wandering and not lost will help you learn to let go when there’s no sale in sight.
The Freebie-Seeker
Small businesses (especially service businesses) can have an issue with people offering exposure to promote their business in exchange for a freebie. Whether they’re asking for a free photo shoot or a free pair of socks to decide whether or not to buy, this type of customer always asks for more. But the Freebie-Seeker can be held off with the help of strong boundaries. To escape death by exposure, set your own rules for how, if, and when your business offers free trials on products or services. Having a clear set of rules will help stave off the temptation to cave into scope creep or “just one more” free sample.
If your Freebie-Seeker is more of a Discount Shopper, keep pre-set discounts or bonuses on-hand to distribute. Regardless of actual price or offer, these customers want to know they got a better deal than other customers. Unless it’s cheaper or comes with benefits that they can’t get anywhere else, you’ll have a hard time convincing them to make a purchase. If you can’t afford the added extras, invest in providing a great experience. That way, they can still have something on top of your offering that they can’t get anywhere else.
The Ghost Customer
The Ghost isn’t technically a customer, but a potential customer who has shown some interest in your business. They might have signed up for a newsletter, used a live chat tool, filled out your contact form, or even tried reaching you over email. They’re interested and they may even seem like a sure thing, but for all this progress the sale doesn’t seem to be getting any closer to closing.
Unlike the ever-curious Philosopher, this type of customer will come to the very brink of buying, then disappear. They might seem like a sure sale, but the Ghost will leave right when you think you’ve won. The type of potential customer typically needs some encouragement to make a purchasing decision, but that isn’t always the case. For this customer, follow-ups can help, but so can learning to let go. The Ghost may have moved on and so should you. You can’t win them all and the Ghost is an important type of customer to teach you to know when to fold.
The In-n-Out Customer
In-n-Outs are impulsive, quick buyers who don’t give a second thought before clicking “add to cart”. You won’t have to take a lot of time to convince them once they’re sure they want your product or service. For this type of customer, focus on streamlining the buying process, rather than selling them on anything.
One of the few things that can stop these impulsive buyers from making a purchase is an overly complicated purchase process, with too many steps or too many touchpoints to go through before they can buy. Make it easy for them to place an order on your website and respond instantly to their questions. Impulsive buyers need quick attention, or they will change their minds. The easier it is to buy from you, the more likely they are to do it—and do it repeatedly.
The Regular Customer
These types of customers know exactly what they want—the exact same thing they got last time. While this kind of consistency might seem ideal, the Regular customer is missing one key element from becoming your favorite customer: enthusiasm. Unlike the vocal Evangelist (more on that later), the Regular will buy from you for years, without ever telling a soul about it.
If you’re looking to stay in maintenance mode, creating a cohesive, consistent experience will keep these creatures of habit coming back for more, whereas sudden changes can scare them off. However, if you’re looking to turn your Regulars into Evangelists, you may need to change their ways. This can be something as simple as asking for a review after they’ve made a purchase, or something as involved as a rewards or affiliate program.
The Transactional Customer
As much as you might want to create a cohesive, pleasant experience for customers, that’s not always what customers want. As primarily needs-driven customers, these individuals are driven by their need for a particular product or service, rather than any grander emotional desire. They already understand what they want and know exactly where to find it. Unlike the Regular, the Transactional doesn’t have an unspoken love for your business. You serve a purpose, and not even nostalgia or habit will keep them loyal to your business if you stop serving that purpose.
For this type of customer, it’s best not to try to fix what isn’t broken. Sure, it might be nice to try to create a deeper connection with your customers, but these ones don’t want that. The Transactional customer means business and wants quality. They’re looking to fill a need and move on. Keeping up the quality of your product or service will help you serve these pragmatic customers best.
The Evangelist Customer
This type of customer is loyal, loves your business, and isn’t afraid to tell others. Evangelists are the stuff word of mouth marketing dreams are made of. But there are still some things to keep in mind with how you interact with these customers. Don’t take their loyalty for granted, don’t let them feel unappreciated, and don’t forget to reward their loyalty. Loyalty and evangelism are earned continuously—so work for it.
Even though Evangelist customers advertise your brand freely, you still need to show them appreciation. Everyone likes to feel important and recognized. Organize contests where they can win awards, send them personal thank you notes, and invite suggestions from them on areas of improvement. Keep them engaged and within no time at all, your customer base will be bigger than you could have ever imagined.
The Most Important Type of Customer
Whatever customers your business attracts, there is value in each of them. The number one goal of any business is to make good sales on a continuous basis. And the only way to do that is through customers. So, be patient and be prepared to handle each, using this field guide to common types of customers. Remember: the most important type of customer is your customer. By tailoring your approach to different customers, you’ll be able to grow your business and their loyalty—at the same time.
