Reach Out and … Grab Your Customers! Part 1

Customers, as a group, are not all going to be interested in your product for the same reason at the same time – even if they need it or want it.

So what’s the dynamics of reaching your customer?

This is important to know because it will help you focus your selling and marketing efforts to the right group, with the right message at the right time.

There are four basic customer groups as shown below. This post will focus on the top of the pyramid — #1 – The Early Adopter.

Adopter Pyramid

Early Adopters are a critical group of people who will immediately want to buy, wear, or use your product.
You know who they are. They are often the first people on the block with the latest gadget or wearing the latest fashion. They can’t wait to show it to you and explain how it works or tell you why it’s going to be trendy in a few weeks or months. These people are always on the lookout for the latest thing. In corporations, Early Adopters often have the ear of the CEO. They are seen as authorities and, as such, help build your product’s credibility by providing evidence that your product works in the real world.

Every product or service has its Early Adopters. You see them at trendy new restaurants and wearing new fashions.

The pyramid shows that Early Adopters are the smallest market. They are, therefore, the most economical to reach. Like the guy on your block, they are willing to take the risk with something new. They are the authorities and trend-setters that introduce your product to the next group of Adopters called the Professional Adopters. I’ll talk about them next week.

Chart and content from my book, Lies Startups Tell Themselves to Avoid Marketing.

Sandra Holtzman teaches CEO 035: Licensing.