Ever buy a jacket that just didn’t fit right? Maybe it was too tight in certain places, too loose in others, too long or too short. It probably bothered you all day and made you self-conscious, and when you got home, you couldn’t wait to take it off.
Trying to service customers that don’t fit you well can be just as nagging and uncomfortable. This month’s issue of Fast Company features the story of Snapper CEO Jim Wier, who pulled his business from Wal-Mart because it just didn’t fit:
Read more: The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart
Your vision for what you want your company to be and how you want your customers to feel have to be consistent with where you are selling, how you are selling and what you are selling. In general, your best customers will:
- Fit with your values: Do you stand for excellence and quality, or speed and convenience? You can’t be a white table cloth restaurant at a truck stop.
- Fit with your market positioning: Are you a Beetle or a BMW? Both cars will get you from point A to point B, but the person who chooses the BMW to get them there is fundamentally different from the one who picks the Beetle. Take a look at the messaging and imagery on their websites to see the difference.
- Fit with your strategy: Are you making a play based on differentiation or volume? If the former, are you differentiated on dimensions that customers care about? If it’s the latter, can you be in enough places for lots of customers to find you?
If you target customers who don’t fit, no amount of clever marketing, coercion, or discounting will make that sale a good one for either of you. On the other hand, with a good fit, gimmicks and price will matter a lot less.
