Do you really understand your customer?

Three types of customers

Each of these customer types have different buying behaviours which will influence the type of relationship that you build with them. It is important to understand what influences a customer's decision whether or not to buy your product/service.

Do It Yourself (DIY)

The DIY customer wants to learn how to solve their problem using their own resources. They rather pay for tools and resources that they can use on their own without depending on an external resource. The DIY customer is very willing to "figure things out" via trial-and-error and is willing to accept that a product/service did not meet their expectations. However, while they are prepared to spend a lot of time learning to use the tool(s), they have not allocated any of their budget towards the solution and as a result tend to be very price-sensitive.

Do It With Me (DWM)

The DWM customer wants you to work with them (or their team) to solve a problem. They're willing to pay to work alongside you and follow your guidance so that they could integrate your expertise into their new/existing processes. As a result, they are less concerned with learning how to solve the problem on their own.

Your relationship with ths customer is focused understanding the processes behind your expertise and may require you to utilize more of your time, your existing intellectual property or resources than the DIY customer would.

Do It For Me (DFM)

The DFM customer is only concerned with your ability to solve the problem - using your own resources. This customer has no interest in learning how to solve the problem and tends not to be price-sensitive because they have already. The relationship

Be careful here. Some DIY customers may appear to be DFM because they have become frustrated with the trial-and-error cycles. However, if they do not have a budgeted amount ready for working with you, they are not DFM

Which one to choose?

While it's possible that there will be some overlap between the three types of customer, it's essential that you identify which type you want to cater towards. For instance, you will find it easier to sell a

Final Thoughts

After identifying your target customer/market, you can identify the types of products/services that you want to offer to them based on their buying behaviour. For example, you could consider selling the following to each:

• Empower DIY customers to learn faster by offering online tutorials, or downloadable guides/assistants
• Help DFM customers to save time by offering high-value in-person workshops or on-going consultancy sessions where you work with their teams
• De-risk projects for DFM customers by offering them project-based consultancies where you or your team deliver the project for them at a fixed cost