Customer profiling If you need an answer, ask a question.

The situation
If you're without customer lists because your products are sold through distributors, it's virtually impossible to understand your customers, their buying decisions and their needs. This was the problem facing a trade book publisher. Our client needed customer profiles—big time. But, how could they collect this information and ensure that they were meeting the market's needs?

The process
O’Donnell & Associates put the processes in place to get those must-have profiles. We inserted a “blow-in card” (a brief survey on a self-addressed postage-paid post card) into 10 books. The survey gathered basic profile information and asked questions specific to each book. It was brief, with questions that were easy to answer, yet able to generate comprehensive customer data.

The results
The survey was a huge success, generating a direct dialog between the publisher and thousands of customers. The publisher could now paint a very clear picture of its customers and develop new products to better meet their needs. And, O’Donnell & Associates created a comprehensive database of thousands of customers. Our client used the profiles to refine its pricing and marketing strategies, and the database to implement highly targeted marketing programs.