As a manufacturer in the 2010s, you must understand that today’s customer is different from the traditional customers you are used to. Like many manufacturers in the United States, you’ve probably built your business on a foundation of history and customer loyalty, preserving a dedicated group of clients who have remained loyal to you through the years.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with preserving the customers who have proven their loyalty over the decades. It can and should remain a part of your core business. But you cannot rely on traditional means of marketing and networking to attract new customers. The resources available to today’s customer have dramatically altered the landscape of the traditional buying process and, in response, the sales cycle for manufacturers.
Take a look at today’s average customer. Regardless of what specific demographics you’re targeting, such as age or gender, almost everyone you’d like to get business from will share these qualities:
· They have national access, in large part thanks to the availability of the Internet. While some customers might prefer working with a local shop, all customer have the option of researching competitors on a national scale. That means you have to worry about more than just local competitors, and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly.
· They don’t pay attention to traditional advertising. Billboards and print ads no longer register with most people. The bombardment of advertising on a constant basis has led to most people “tuning out” the white noise of sales-driven messaging and conventional ads. For example, 51 percent of engineers say they did not attend a single in-person trade show last year, where by contrast, 66 percent of engineers attended at least one webinar or online event in the last year.
· They crave information. All kinds of information. They want to know who you are, how long you’ve been in business, what kind of capacity you have, how fast you can work, how much you cost, and above all else, why they should work with you instead of anyone else. Today’s customer is well informed and equipped with a filter that blocks traditional sales fluff—and that means they need raw, black and white, proven information.
· Their attention spans are shorter, which means you have an even shorter window of opportunity to get their attention and prove that you’re worth working with. It also means they’re not going to spend as much time relationship building as they used to. Instead, they want to get down to business and look at things in terms of a bottom line.
This is the portrait of your new customer, whether you’ve already realized it or not. Technology availability and changing cultural norms have produced a more impatient, demanding, informed customer, and that means you need to step up your marketing game.
Of course, technology and culture have changed for manufacturers as much as they have for manufacturing customers. You have access to the same level of resources your customers do, and if you use it to your advantage, you’ll be able to close the gap between your current model and your new customer.
