Everyone likes to think that they understand their customers, but how many of us really try to completely understand the customers mindset? Every year, Beloit College puts together a “mindset list” describing the thoughts and mindset of their incoming freshmen class. Why would they do this? So that their professors will be able to discuss their topics with relevance, and avoid references and language that the students may not understand. You can see the latest mindset list here.

Companies have gathered “relevant” information about customers for decades, often looking at purchasing behavior, income, demographic information, and so on. But how many have actually looked at the mindset of their customers? Probably not enough. I think it’s a good exercise for every business to put together a mindset list for their customers. With today’s social media options, it’s easier than ever to interact with customers (and for customers to interact with each other). In order to have relevant messages for these people, you need to understand them and speak their language.

Sounds great, but how do you gather this information? The traditional method is to use surveys to gather information. However, I think that if you talk to the people that interact the most with clients, you will find some surprising information. If you have store locations, talk to your cashiers or whatever. If you’re a business to business operation, talk to your sales people or account managers. Listen to what they have to say, and put together a mindset list for your customers. You may be surprised at what you find.

Here’s an interesting link from www.vcplan.com describing the 8 characteristics of success. Let’s check them out.

1. Passion - It all starts with passion. You must love what you are doing.
2. Work - Nothing is gained without hard work. Whatever it is you do, you need to work hard at it.
3. Focus - Stay focused on your objectives. It’s difficult to be excellent at a thousand things, but you can be the best at one.
4. Persist - Everyone fails at some point. To be successful, you need to keep going.
5. Ideas - Keep that brain working and be observant. You never know where the next good idea will come from.
6. Good - Be good at what you do. As the old timers say, practice makes perfect.
7. Push - It’s great when you have someone that can push you or motivate you, but it’s even better when you can push yourself. If you are having trouble with this, then you probably need to do something that you are more passionate about.
8. Serve - Remember, you’re here to help other people. Whatever you do, it’s not about you, it’s about the people that you are serving.

Did I leave something off the list? Comment below or email me at edwardviator@evil-marketer.com