Whatever your business, product or service, you will need customers. It can feel like there are so many things to do when you start a company. Very often a great deal of time is spent perfecting the product, be it a beer or a pot of jam, and no time is left really to understand your customers and potential customers.
There are a number of different types of customers:
Think about the groups of people who will be your customers.
Share your thoughts with other entrepreneurs in your local networks.
It is not always a case of there being just one type of customer or another.
Gwyneth may sell to customers who are consumers. This means they would buy pots of jam, chutney or preserve and eat them themselves.
She may also sell to a retail manager who buys to sell in their shop to their customers. The manager will not consume the food at all.
Gwyneth may at some point in the future expand her business and also sell to a purchasing manager or buyer for online sales.
It is important to think one or two steps beyond the immediate customer/consumer.
Gwyneth needs not only to think about her immediate buyers but also who will have a key influence in enabling her to supply to a wider customer base.
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