Who is a customer?
A customer, also known as a client is a current or potential buyer of a product -good or service. The firm or organization is seller. A potential customer is also known as prospective customer or client. A customer may view, check, experience the service but not purchase.
The word "customer" has derived from custom, which means a habit (of going to frequently to a shop). In today's cutthroat competition, "the Customer is a King". Marketing professionals ironically say “Customer is always right".
The biggest challenge is for an organization is - how to create a customer?
Creating a customer means identifying needs in the marketplace, finding out which needs the organization can profitably serve and developing an offering to convert potential buyers into customers. (Guiltinan and Paul)
The marketing professionals are mostly responsible to create customers. The activities, which are necessary to create customers, are as follows:
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To identify the customer needs.
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To design the goods and services that meet those identified needs
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To communicate the information about those goods and services to prospective buyers
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To make goods and services available at times and places that meet customers’ needs
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To price goods and services to reflect costs, competition and customers’ ability to buy
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To provide necessary service and follow-up to ensure customer satisfaction after the purchase
