The "Right" Customers, Not All the Customers

I am a firm believer that too many business baby each and every customer that comes to them. I'm not sure if this is do to U.S. culture, or if its an international business practice, but I do know that for start-ups and companies with green practices, the wrong customers can be extremely dangerous. For this reason, we as business owners must recognize our "right customers" and treat them as such. 

But how do we know who the "right" customers are? Research often says that middle aged, home owners, who are not too price sensitive are the absolute best customers. Why?
Middle Aged = Mature and Reasonable
Home Owners = Stationary
Not Price Sensitive = They will buy what you sell them
While it may be a stretch to suggest you only market and serve this narrow percentage of the population, there are some things to think about that can widen your audience, but narrow your marketing. 

Be aware of the people who care about your business. When a patron is a repeat customer, you have created an loyal customer. When that loyal customer brings their friends and suggests your services to others, you have created an apostle. This single person has exponentially increased her value and business owners don't recognize this often enough. These customers will treat you business with respect, grow your following organically, forgive mistakes you make, and most of all stand up for you. So recognize them and make them feel special. There's nothing wrong with that.

Forget the detractors. These are the ones who are always complaining about your business or services. I know there's the "the customer is always right" mentality, but it's really out of date. If a customer is always complaining to you, imagine what they are saying about you to the people they know. They get their name because they detract from your brand, so get rid of them. Nicely, of course. Here is a good Forbes article on just this such thing. 

The overall point is that in business where we really rely on that next customer who will put the money in our pockets, we need to focus on the ones that believe what we believe and will bring their friends who also believe the same. This organic form of growth is more powerful that any search engine result or advertisement in the local paper. So put time into you good customers and make sure you recognize what they are so you can market to those particular type of people.