Five Things Your Holiday Gift List Reveals about Your Ideal Customer Profile

‘Tis the season for appreciating customers. As you review your holiday gift list, maybe you’ve also been commenting to yourself, “That’s a great customer!” or “That one? Not so great.”

When you’re sorting through decisions about gifts, cards or thank-you notes, your “good customer” radar is on high alert. That makes the holiday season an ideal time to refine your ideal customer profile for 2015. The only resources you need are your customer list and these five statements.

  1. Your relationship with this customer generates significant annual revenue or steady ongoing revenue for your business.
  2. Your customer does not request major adjustments or customization to your products or services.
  3. Your customer does not require frequent, specialized customer treatment and/or does not require frequent, significant customer service time.
  4. The interactions you and/or your employees have with this customer are mutually beneficial and cordial, even when these interactions involve an issue.
  5. Your customer has referred other customers to your business, and/or has introduced you to additional contacts in the company.

For each customer, rate your answer to the statements on the following scale:

A: Customer’s behavior consistently matches this description.

B:  Customer’s behavior generally matches this description, although sometimes does not.

C:  Customer’s overall behavior does not match this description, with an occasional exception.

Your mostly A-list customers deserve your highest appreciation, not only during the holidays, but also throughout the year. Finding ways to ensure their loyalty and satisfaction should be at the top of your business to-do list for 2015.

Predominantly B-list customers deserve more research in 2015. Start by quantifying the statements above, and measuring your B-list customer behavior against those numbers. For example, if your typical A customer makes four to six referrals to your business a year, and your B customer makes one or two referrals, make customer satisfaction and asking for referrals from your B customer priorities in 2015.

Your C-list customers require soul-searching. Have you been operating from different expectations? Are you tolerating their C-list behavior, or even inadvertently encouraging it? Figure out how to move these customers up to the B list—or move on.

An ideal customer relationship is a year-round gift that pays mutual benefits long after the popcorn and cookies disappear from the break room. It’s not too early to start building your 2015 A-list now.