People spend a lot of time talking about "sweet spot” or ideal customers, who are the best fit for their business.
But what about the sour spot customers? How much time do you spend talking about the customers who are a bad fit for your business? In some ways they may be customers you prefer not to think about. Like bad relationships if you don't think about them, they may not appear to be there.However, there is a lot to be learnt by asking three simple questions about bad fit customers.
- Why did you decide to do business with them in the first place?
- What would you do differently the next time you are tempted to engage with a similar customer?
- How much are you losing or making from this customer?
Try scheduling a slot at a management meeting. Ask colleagues to suggest their top three "sour customers"? Run through the three questions above and see what you learn. Like a bad relationship, you may find out a lot of home truths.
Perhaps you might choose to break off the relationship with some of your "sour spot" customers and give better attention to sweet ones...or winning sweet ones!
