One of the best pieces of dating advice I ever received was this: “Picture your ideal partner, work out what THEY would want in a partner… and become THAT person”
This process of getting what you want by first becoming what others want, recently clicked with me again… but this time in a marketing sense when I was reviewing audio’s from Eben Pagan’s Altitude Program.
In one of the sessions, Eben talks about the importance of creating a customer avatar to help define your niche.
Now, the term avatar traditionally refers to a ‘computer user’s representation of himself/herself or alter ego, and used in computer games or on internet forums and other communities’… BUT in the context of what Eben was talking about, your customers avatar is simply a ‘representation of your typical customer’ ..
A possible customer avatar for RetailSecrets.com.au is - Mary is 43 years old and runs a retail clothing store in a small town. She has two young kids in school and although the store is doing well and covering all the bills, it’s not meeting the goals she knows she deserves. Every month she has to spend more $$ in marketing to get people to come through the doors, is open minded about taking advice and learning… and is actively looking for the tools to grow her business & increase referrals.
Now, by creating (& even naming your customers avatar) you can imagine you are speaking directly with that person when creating your marketing material. This really strengthens the ‘messages to market match’, ensures your communications are more personal, which in-turn increases conversions, and it also helps you define your niche and really engage your prospects.
But do you want to know the real trick in all this? (this is where I get all voodoo and tie it back to the dating advice)
The secret is to create the customer avatar and not only work out what products and services they want, “but work out what sort of business they would want to deal with.. and become that business.”
In this day and age, people don’t simply buy a product … they interact with a business. Creating the right product is only step 1, creating the right brand is how you win.
p.s. Also, if you are on his list, you would have just received an email from my good mate Ed Dale. As he mentioned in his email, given the economic times there is a recent interview with Warren Buffett that is a MUST WATCH.
You can watch on the Blog or download it from iTunes. Just make sure you watch it: http://preneurmarketing.com/Buffet.php
You NEED to understand what is really going on in the economic world. Make no mistake – there are issues – BUT- The same technology that we use to market our wares can be used to create fear and panic like we have never seen in history.
When you think of poverty what do you think about ?
Julian Cole over at 
