Demographics in 10 Minutes or Less

energy, creativity, money, and focus it can give to something. Build-

ing your pipeline requires your full attention. Each pipeline re-
quires an investment of time, money, and resources. So build one
pipeline at a time. Later, when your superniche is rewarding you by
pumping lots of cash through your pipeline into your bank account,
you can begin to think about identifying a new superniche.
When your demographic is well dened, its easy to give it
your full attention. If you have more than one demographic on
deck, your efforts are split in two, or three, or fourwait, are you
really thinking four? Stop right now and make a choice. Get out
the timer and do the following 10-minute demographics exercise,
keeping the focus on your gut, not your pocketbook.
Ten-Minute Exercise
What follows is a series of questions to help you build the demo-
graphic prole of your superniche in 10 minutes or less. Youve got
10 minutes and 10 questions spread among the 6 categories. Go
with it. Write down the rst answer that comes to mind, and then
move on to the next question. You can always rene your answers
later. Ready, set, go!
1. If you are already in business, describe your favorite customers
in basic terms. What do they have in common? If you are in
the start-up phase, move on to the next question.
2. Describe the type of person who would need or want your
product or service. For example, you might choose entrepre-
neurs, athletes, chefs, teachers, parents, the disabled, senior
citizens, librarians, college students, or some other such group.
3. List the basic facts about your ideal customer, such as age,
gender, marital status, socioeconomic status, and education
level.
4. What is the geographic location of your average customer? If it
is signicant to your business, what type of dwelling does your
average customer live in? For example, does she rent an apart-
ment or a house, or does she own a condo, house, or farm?
47
Discover the Power of the Superniche
5. How do most of your customers conduct business with you?
For example, do they purchase products or services over the
Internet, in person, or through the mail?
6. In an ideal world, what type of people or businesses do you
wish you could do business with? Does this demographic t
the prole of your average customer? Whats missing?
Next, take all the answers and put them into one list. Do any
of the answers seem out of place? Are there any measurable charac-
teristics that seem to be missing from the list? Remember to avoid
adding new people or businesses to your demographic prole. And
when in doubt, choose those you love to work with. Hang on to
your list. Youll come back to it when you put it all together on your
brand prole.
48