Six-Week Start-Up. Rhonda Abrams

key to finding industry-specific information is to be patient and diligent. You’ll have to go to many sites and look around. When you find a site of interest—let’s say an industry association site—follow links from that site (look for links saying things like “Related Links”).

      Another key is to visit websites of industries or associations you plan to market to. For instance, as a dog groomer, you might look for any local dog-owner websites or local petstore websites. They may give you ideas for marketing opportunities as well as help you learn more about your local market. Sometimes, you can buy membership lists, giving you a built-in database of sales leads.

      Look for established market research companies in your field. In technology, for instance, some of the major market research companies are IDC, Gartner, and Forrester. If you’re in the fashion industry, that would be the NPD Group. To find market research in your industry, do a search using your favorite search engine by using the name of the industry plus “market research.”

      Don’t forget to check for news stories about topics related to your industry. You can look at general and specific media sites and use their search and archive capabilities.

      You’ll find lots of information online, but I’m also a big believer in the real world. Follow your online information hunt with real-world activities, particularly attending trade shows. Get out there and talk to people, including suppliers, potential customers, even competitors. Who knows? Perhaps other dog groomers will give you a leg up on your research, and you’ll find that business isn’t such a dog-eat-dog world after all.

       Check It Out

      Use Google’s special news search engine to look for recent news about your industry (www.news.google.com).

      You can also sign up for email updates on topics of your choice (www.google.com/alerts).

ACCOMPLISHMENT #2:

       Research your target market

       My Checklist:

       Define your target market

       Determine if there are enough customers

WHO ARE MY CUSTOMERS?

       Describe whom your customers are in each of the following categories. You’ll find that the number of customers in each category grows the closer you get to the “end user.”

MY CUSTOMER PROFILE

       Rank the characteristics of your customers that are most important in determining how receptive they’ll be to your product or service. For the characteristics that have no bearing on whether or not they’ll buy from you, leave the space blank.

       Gender

       Age

       Income level

       Occupation

       Education level

       Race or ethnicity

       Religious affiliation

       Marital status

       Children in household

       Home ownership

       Recreational activities

       Proximity to your business

       Rank the characteristics of your product or service that are most important to your target customers.

       Price

       Service

       Status

       Convenience

       Reliability

       Other:

       Product features

       Design

       Other:

       Now describe your customers according to the characteristics you have identified. Start with the characteristic you ranked as most important, providing details on how you think that characteristic will influence your customers’ buying decisions.

       Characteristic #1

       Characteristic #2

       Characteristic #3

       Characteristic #4

       Characteristic #5

Define your target market

      If I asked you to tell me whom your customers—or potential customers—are, how would you answer?

      Let’s say you’ve created a new breakfast cereal for children: “Yummy Tummy Oats.” You’ve packed it with good things: vitamins, minerals,