Of the many mentors I’ve had along my way, Dave Pomeroy was one of the most insightful and entertaining people I’ve ever met. It was he that helped me accept that I would never satisfy every customer, nor should I try. I get how that might seem strange, but stay with me here, this is about to get good.
Like many of you, I took my craft as a professional salesperson very seriously. I practiced qualifying questions and overcoming objections. I studied multiple closing techniques and rehearsed features, advantages, and benefits. I also believed I was capable of closing and satisfying every customer every time, and if anyone ever left dissatisfied or unhappy, it was somehow my failure. But it wasn’t always.
I first met Dave Pomeroy when he was a professional sales coach and technical instructor for a vendor of mine. He had invested years in researching people and personalities, and he recognized that people looked at the world, and the people around them, differently, sorting most into three distinct categories of customers.
The 17%
These are people who just want a job done right. Most of them won’t mention a discount on your price. They just don’t want to do the work themselves. These people value you and your efforts. 17%ers will easily establish a working relationship with you because you make their life easier. They aren’t likely to become your best friends, but they will call you repeatedly as they need additional services. 17%ers are your ideal customers for annual and semi-annual services.
The 54%
The next group makes up 54% of your customers. These are folks who will ask for a discount but really do want you to make a living, and appreciate you helping them out. 54%ers are likely to get to know you on a first name basis and say hello when you pass them at a restaurant. Treat them right and they’ll bring you new customers, tons of them. They’ll show off their new item or completed project to their friends and neighbors and recommend you to them. These are people you’ll develop long-time relationships with, often becoming personal friends. 54%ers are usually the most fun to do business with, the type of people you dreamed of serving when you started your business or profession in the first place.
The 29%
This group was hard for me to accept. It’s effectively a third of your customer base. I wanted every customer, every sale, every time. But that’s just not going to happen. The truth is, 29% of people are just miserable. They’re unhappy at work, at home, around friends, and even at church. 29%ers don’t value you or your staff. They’ll argue and complain the entire time you’re with them, and they will never be satisfied. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing for them or how many times you do it, they are going to stress you out along the way and aggravate your employees. You know the type. We’ve all had them and can probably recall many of them by name.
So the real question is this: could you possibly accommodate 71% of your market area? Think 650,000 people times 0.71, that’s 461,500 people. The answer, of course, is no. The average business could never handle that number of customers, all of whom (17%ers and 54%ers) actually want to work with you. So why work so hard to satisfy the 29% who are so miserable in their own lives that they just want to pull you into their misery with them?
The Lesson to Be Learned
When meeting with folks for the first time, ask yourself which category this customer falls into. The 17%ers, 54%ers, and 29%ers all have different ways of seeing others, and you can often tell by the way they treat you, your staff, and even their own family. You’d do well to develop a series of three to five questions to determine if this customer is right for you, just like you would with any product you offer. If someone falls into the 29%, let them go. Be nice and professional about it, but price higher and don’t negotiate the way you might with your 71%ers. That way, if you do engage them, at least it’s worth your while. There’s no law that says you have to do business with everyone.
By eliminating the stress and work of that 29%, you’ll have far more time to invest in your 71%. You’ll be happier, your customers will be happier, and your employees will be happier. You’ll make more money, you’ll find and retain customers more easily, and you’ll enjoy what you do again. You deserve that.
My Friend Dave
My friend Dave Pomeroy passed away on September 2nd, 2010, from a heart attack. I take great pride in sharing some of the lessons he shared with me and others along the way. I know he’d find it a hoot that his legacy of helping others continues on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I actually turn away the 29% entirely? Not necessarily. You can still serve them, just without discounting or bending over backward the way you might for your best customers. Pricing higher and holding firmer boundaries usually filters this group naturally over time.
How do I identify which category a new customer falls into? Watch how they treat you and your staff in the first interaction, particularly around requests, tone, and flexibility. A short set of qualifying questions before you commit to working with someone can also help surface it early.
Does this rule apply to every type of business? The exact percentages are a rule of thumb rather than a precise formula, but the underlying pattern, that a portion of any customer base will never be satisfied no matter what you do, tends to hold across most service and sales-driven businesses.
Isn’t it risky to turn away any paying customer? The risk usually runs the other way. Time and energy spent on chronically dissatisfied customers is time and energy not spent on the 71% who are far more likely to become repeat customers and referral sources.
