Okay, before we go any further it is worth noting that this article may make sense to some entrepreneurs and less sense to others. But it is definitely worth a read anyway. The old adage of marketing is that you must clearly define your target market. While true, understanding your target market group does not always translate to having understanding of the individuals within that target group.

The data provided by the target market group may be very useful for businesses that do not sell differentiated products but can be very less useful to entrepreneurs that sell services and customized products. A particular brands’ soap is exactly that and remains unchanged. However, in a service industry, although the client has the general characteristics and preferences that make them part of your target market, they have certain preferences that are tailored to them.

This may be irrelevant to big corporates, but you are not a big corporate, you are a small business owner or a startup who feels the pains of losing a client in a sharp manner. Every client counts for you, you cannot afford to lose even one. If one client leaves because you failed to understand them, your cash flow feels the pain considerably.

The profiling of your clients is then necessary, this will help you avoid a case where you impose the taste and preferences of a client on another. Not profiling or understand your clients can have you create a product or tailor a service that you are so happy with, and proud of, only to have the client express significant disapproval of. The product or service may actually be great, but just is not the clients preference and taste. When this happens, you will be disappointed if not angry thinking that how dare the client take your awesome work for granted.

A suitable example for this is a barbershop. A barbershop will have the defined target marketing according to income, age, location and so on. Beyond that though is that every client has a different taste in hairstyle or cut that appeals to the size and shape of their head and body. Imagine then that a barber gives Chris Brown a Vin Diesel haircut, surely Chris will be furious very fast.

I recently worked on a project for a recurring client. Upon completion of the project I pat myself multiple times on the back, if only I knew that I was in for a surprise. Upon presentation of the project to the client, the client requested changes that changed the whole projects almost completely. I was disappointed, I mean I was so proud of the work. As the disappointment subsided, I realized the mistake. The issue was not that the work wasn’t great, it was. But it was not what the client wanted. It is not their style or taste. I had imposed my ideas and the preferences of another client on them. A recipe for disaster. Fortunately, this was a client that I had worked with multiple times before, I just had to administer the changes with their preferences in mind, and at the end my bank account felt a different kind of heat; invoice being settled. Yeah, you know that good feeling.

Knowing and understanding your clients will save you time and keep your cash flow flowing without any glitches. And most importantly, you will keep your clients happy. Happy clients, equal a healthy business.