The client drives the business, and their role is even more crucial in start-ups, where everything needs to be created and developed: offerings, processes, skills, credibility, etc. Your clients are more than a mere source of revenue for your enterprise; they directly and indirectly contribute to your entire development strategy.
Here are 5 reasons why you should place your clients at the heart of your business strategy.
Early adopters and offer evolution
Agile methods, sprints, MVPs, landing pages—start-ups are known for their ability to launch products in record time. These products are often V0 versions aimed at testing a market, a need, or a target audience. Naturally, these services and products are meant to evolve, and who better than consumers to guide you in that direction.
The early adopters are individuals most willing to purchase a new product upon its launch. These consumers are very curious and eager to be the first to try a new product to form their opinion. They will also be the first to provide you with feedback and express specific needs related to your offerings.
The client as “quality control”
Your product will never be perfect, and your clients are here to remind you of that. Whether it's related to processes, the quality of offerings, the scope of your services, your timelines, etc. Your clients reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your offerings and help you identify areas for improvement.
Developing impactful marketing strategies
It is often through data analysis that we can implement marketing strategies that truly convert. The data you collect from your consumers plays a crucial role here: analyzing their purchasing behavior, habits, needs, transactional data, browsing data, interaction data, socio-demographic data, etc.
All this data will allow you to better target your campaigns, adapt your messaging, develop SEO content strategies, and convert new clients.
Team challenges and skill development
Just as they push you to evolve your offerings, your clients challenge your teams and help them develop their skills. Meeting their expectations can sometimes be a real challenge. For example, we find:
The impatient clients: who ask you to go into team sprint mode to launch a product or service in record time. Such services foster cohesion and stimulate the teams.
The clients who want more: many clients will want more than what they initially sought from you. Although difficult to manage at first, these client requests are crucial for your startup. They can reveal an incomplete or improvable offering, a need your teams may not have addressed, or even a misunderstanding during the sale. You can thus draw several conclusions:
- learning to say no,
- adapting or improving your offering,
- clarifying your sales pitch.
The clients who want better: you must distinguish between clients who want more and those who want better. Some consumers will challenge your teams on processes, approaches, collaboration, or even the service and product. They will push your teams to enhance their skills to offer a much more complete and high-quality service for the same offering.
Ambassador clients
A client is an ambassador for your brand! From the moment you start working with them, they become a “social proof” that helps establish your credibility. A client’s opinion and their level of satisfaction will directly influence your startup's reputation, in both positive and negative ways.
Client reviews
Client reviews are free, brief, and impactful social proofs. It is sometimes challenging to collect them, but numerous client review tools exist that simplify this task. Client reviews are somewhat mass social proof. Some prospects need to see many varied reviews before trusting a product.
Client testimonials
Harder to obtain than reviews, testimonials provide more information and allow for better projection. Often in the form of video or written interviews, testimonials facilitate a comprehensive discussion of a project.
Client referrers
A satisfied client will attract others! Without even mentioning a “referrer contract,” a satisfied consumer will talk about you and contribute to your visibility.
Content-creating clients
Your clients will also talk about you on social media. They will share their experiences and interact with your community. This is free and genuine communication that will increase your visibility.
The portfolio
Your achievements are essential levers that will help demonstrate your skills, approach, service details, etc. to your prospects. Especially important in a startup, the portfolio provides transparency and clarity. It also plays a role in introspection during the writing process, allowing you to take stock of each of your achievements.
