According to infoentrepreneurs.org, however good your product or service is, the simple truth is that no-one will buy it if they don't want it or believe they don't need it. And you won't persuade anyone that they want or need to buy what you're offering unless you clearly understand what it is your customers really want. Knowing and understanding customer needs is at the center of every successful business, whether it sells directly to individuals or other businesses. Once you have this knowledge, you can use it to persuade potential and existing customers that buying from you is in their best interests.
In order to gather the following information about customers, you will need to not only use your experience, but you will also need to interview potential customers and parents. Here are some things you need to think about.
2. Price
3. Time & Convenience
4. Look
5. Design
6. Status & Identity
7. Reliability & Durability
8. Performance
9. Efficiency
10. Packaging
1. Hunger
2. Health Reasons
3. Boredom
4. Mood
5. Time of Day
6. Social Status
7. Billboards
8. Facebook Ads
9. Celebrities
10. Customer Testimonials
11. Current Trends
To help you brainstorm and get organized in better understanding your customer, you will complete two forms.
One form will focus on customers' characteristics and the other on customers' needs. In order to fill out these forms, you will be working in groups.
Form I requires your team to brainstorm the characteristics of middle students and their parents. If needed, use the links provided in the resources page. A small section of section one will require you to interview your family. This section is to be done at home.
Form II requires you to interview your fellow group members and your parents about their personal needs as a consumer.
Once you have completed your Customer Analysis research, you will take the information you've gathered into the first section of your marketing report. Click here for Section I sample and requirements.
In order to gather the following information about customers, you will need to not only use your experience, but you will also need to interview potential customers and parents. Here are some things you need to think about.
- Customer characteristics
What makes this particular group of people special or sets them apart from others? What is unique about them? Report on things such as age, interests, habits, lifestyle, and demographics. In general, what should we know about middle school and junior high school students and their parents? Yes, your customers are the students and the parents. - Customer needs
Customer needs are things that a customer wants, needs or expects in a product or service. Again, it is important to remember that your customers are the students and the parents. The following are common types of customer needs:
2. Price
3. Time & Convenience
4. Look
5. Design
6. Status & Identity
7. Reliability & Durability
8. Performance
9. Efficiency
10. Packaging
- Customer buying decisions
In terms of the market niche you are going to develop, what are the reasons your customers purchase one product over another product? Is it price that drives their decision or is it nutritional value? Is it the taste of the product that motivates them or is it the colors and cartoon characters on the packaging? Is it a combination of all of the above? The following are common types of customer buying decisions:
1. Hunger
2. Health Reasons
3. Boredom
4. Mood
5. Time of Day
6. Social Status
7. Billboards
8. Facebook Ads
9. Celebrities
10. Customer Testimonials
11. Current Trends
To help you brainstorm and get organized in better understanding your customer, you will complete two forms.
One form will focus on customers' characteristics and the other on customers' needs. In order to fill out these forms, you will be working in groups.
Form I requires your team to brainstorm the characteristics of middle students and their parents. If needed, use the links provided in the resources page. A small section of section one will require you to interview your family. This section is to be done at home.
Form II requires you to interview your fellow group members and your parents about their personal needs as a consumer.
Once you have completed your Customer Analysis research, you will take the information you've gathered into the first section of your marketing report. Click here for Section I sample and requirements.