Every product and/or service has a customer–base that it applies to.  Whether owned and operated by a private or public business entity…to be profitable, efficient and effective…every product or service has to regularly meet the need(s) of a certain group of customers.

So given this reality…how much time…study…and development effort do you/your organization devote to appropriately address:  Customer-Base Realities?

When I went full-time into my consulting business I thought that I would be instantly “over-booked” by customers needing “innovation inspiration”!  Guess what…I was wrong.  Although it was and still is true that many could benefit from what services I provide… I did not:

• Realize the niche customer-base I was looking at.
• Take into account the impact timing has on those I was hoping to serve.
• Recognize that I had a lot of competition in my market.
• Understand that my service was not a necessity to the customer-base…rather only a continuous improvement option.

Or take into account other factors like:

• Locations I was planning to serve
• Age of potential customers
• Past consultant experiences
• Technological influences

Bottomline:  I did NOT do a quality job researching, identifying and addressing (in the most simplified manner) the:  Customer-Base Realities facing my business plan.

Today with all of the life-style, service delivery, hi-tech, job change and info-overload issues influencing people everywhere… challenging yourself/your employer to become better aware of Customer-Base Realities is critical.  Whether you work in the field of human services or in a manufacturing area… your Customer-Base Realities regularly change similar to the seasons.  Therefore becoming and remaining a “student” of Customer-Base Realities in your profession has endless potential benefit.