The Mercedes Client – Attracting the customers you want

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February 21, 2014

I know a successful business owner in the cleaning industry who markets his services to what he calls “Mercedes clients.” He’s successfully attracted and sold his service to that clientele. I know which of my customers fit that bill and they usually are great for us as a company. They pay their bills and hire us to take care of their pest problems instead of treating themselves.

However, if your business puts out the message that yours is the cheapest in town, you might get a different type of customer, and consequently you might have to chase your money. I often think about the past 30 years of serving our community and its many types of customers. A lot of hard-earned wisdom has been gained in that time. So what does your chart of accounts look like?

We serve all categories of customers at various levels of income. Some have lots of pests and others want to prevent pests from securing a foothold on their property. Even the customers with little money but tremendous pest problems get treated thoroughly and fast. It’s difficult to sleep at night knowing we’ve let these people down, so we try our best to treat them right. Sometimes this might lead to not getting paid, but that’s part of doing business and doing it a fair and even-handed manner. Like it or not we trudge forward to offer goodwill and be fair to all concerned.

But what if you could create the perfect list of customers? Who would they be? Would they all be Mercedes clients? What would you have to do to attract the type of customer your company wants and needs?

First, explore strategies for attracting Mercedes clients.

Clean trucks and uniformed personnel with ID badges help attract these folks. An email sent to show exactly who’s coming to their door so they can avoid that unknown person will show your company’s professionalism and help provide safety and security.

A professional looking website and advertising that’s informative, professional and clean is one way to win the heart of a Mercedes client.
Social media is also important and a way for a company to communicate various information the customer might find important.

How do you attract the … non Mercedes customers? Well, you wouldn’t have to wash your trucks, or buy expensive uniforms or ID badges. You don’t even to advertise or have a website. Don’t worry about the negative comments on social media, your customers will never find out or believe what they read. You won’t need a great looking sign out front because your business and office is invisible and always in stealth mode — just the way you want it so you wont be hassled.

Do you know any of your competitors that fit this mold? If so, I’ve made my point.

Always remember there are no perfect clients, but would you rather have a Mercedes or a Yugo? Set your goals high and target customers who will be the perfect fit for your company. At the end of the day you’ll be glad you did. pmp

You can reach Johnson, a past president of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) 
and current president of Sevierville, Tenn.-based Johnson Pest Control, at ray@johnsonpestcontrol.com

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