Consumer Research. Who are your customers today, and how do they differ from those of your past? Ask yourself these questions:
The best way to get the answers to these questions is to listen. Listen closely to what your prospects and customers are saying. If you have a spec home, go sit in it for a weekend and talk to the people who stop by. Send out a survey, which can double as a marketing piece, to both prospects and past customers.
Taking the time to do market research will help you gain a better understanding of how you should be positioning yourself to customers, now and in the future.
—Steve Maltzman, CPA, is president of SMA Consulting in Redlands, Calif.
