Understand your customers' needs

The more you know about your customers, the more effective your sales and marketing efforts will be. Find out:

• who they are - including individuals in other businesses who are responsible for the decision to buy from you
• what they buy
• why they buy it
• how they use your product

For information on targeting decision-makers, see the sales process.

You can learn a great deal about your customers by talking to them. Ask them why they're buying, what they may want to buy and what other needs they have. This could highlight valuable developments you can make to your current offering and help you spot new market opportunities.

It's also worth keeping an eye on future developments in your customers' markets and lives. Knowing the trends that are going to influence your customers helps you to anticipate what they will need. Market research and market reports can help you build a picture of where your customers' business - and your own - may be going.