Customers are at the heart of your business. Without them, you'd have no sales, which means you'd have nothing at all. Identifying your core customers will help you grow your business.

Your core customers are the base of your customer group and the people for whom you should write your marketing messages. Your core customers are the people who value your products and services most. They are the most likely to recommend you to others when they are pleased with the experience you and your products provide. Your core customers are not necessarily your only customers, but they are probably your most important customers.

You can identify your core customers by thinking about the people who currently buy from you and which of those clients you want to continue to serve. Think about the characteristics of the clients you want to work with in the future and those you do not. Which projects have you worked on that were among your favorites? Which customers required a lot of effort and resulted in a final result that you were not as happy to deliver? You can change your mind about your core customers. You can expand to serve a slightly larger market, or contract to work with fewer clients. Your 'customer profile' should be fluid and you should review it often to continue to optimize your business.

Once you have identified your core customers, talk to them. Send out surveys to current and potential clients, ask questions of former clients, get information from others in groups and forums. Learn as much as possible about the expectations and situations about the people you want to serve. You can use this information to create a great assortment that delivers value.

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To learn more about identifying your core customers and create a customer profile, you can take Tamara's short Skillshare course: Identify Your Customer.