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Acquire (Old Brainstorming Pages)

Acquire steps include all activities the customer completes preceding the purchase of the product. These steps include the customer's efforts needed to identify and evaluate Intermediaries and travel to the Intermediary location.

Examples: We offer brief write-ups for each method describing a situation where the idea is used or implied. Use these supporting examples in order to expand your range of ideas. These examples are neither mutually exclusive nor collectively exhaustive.

A Final customer buying from an Intermediary of the product. The Final customer is the one who makes the final decision on what product to buy and from which supplier to buy it. Most consumer products, and many industrial products, reach Final customers through Intermediaries.

Acquire Steps: Acquire steps include all activities the customer completes preceding the purchase of the product. These steps include the customer's efforts needed to identify and evaluate Intermediaries and travel to the Intermediary location.

1. Physical: Segment customers by physical needs. These segmentations identify the physical needs of individual customers and address the physical situation of the location where the product is purchased or used.

  1. Size: Segmentation by the size of customers includes grouping customers by their dimensions or weight.

    1. Dimensions Examples >>

    2. Weight Examples >>

  2. Ability/Disability: Segment customers according to the customer's ability or difficulty in physically using the product

    1. Strength Examples >>

    2. Mobility Examples >>

2. Emotional: Segment customers according to the personal emotional needs of the segment.

  1. Needs for comfort and status

    1. Comfort through the five senses

      1. Interest in improved styling Examples >>

      2. Interest in better visual performance Examples >>

    2. Status in the community

      1. Need for affiliation: Find segments of customers who wish to identify with a particular group in the society. They want to be a part of a group that has:

        1. Distinctive style or appearance

          1. Trendy

            1. With equipment Examples >>

            2. With clothes and accessories Examples >>

          2. Quality conscious

            1. About food and meals Examples >>

            2. About home and surroundings Examples >>

            3. About apparel and accessories Examples >>

          3. Demanding of exclusivity. Segment wants a look few others have. Examples >>

        2. Unusual capability or achievement

          1. Economic Examples >>

          2. Emotional Examples >>

        3. A particular tie to an aspect of culture

          1. Ethnicity Examples >>

          2. Other parts of culture Examples >>

        4. Other Examples >>

      2. Need for personal achievement

        1. Improvement in leisure pursuits and hobbies Examples >>

        2. Advancement in career and profession Examples >>

        3. Improvement in personal qualities Examples >>

    3. Status through the recognition of customer's individual requirements for product:

      1. Function Examples >>

      2. Reliability Examples >>

      3. Convenience of:

        1. Purchase Examples >>

        2. Delivery and installation Examples >>

  2. Needs to avoid sources of anxiety

    1. Risks in relationship: The customer segment needs reassurance it can trust:

      1. An individual – a specific person, apart from the company or process Examples >>

      2. A piece of equipment or product – a specific product apart from the company or process

        1. Segment's recognition of third party endorsements – Segment is responsive to endorsers:

          1. Without an economic interest Examples >>

          2. With an economic interest Examples >>

        2. Segment that will experiment with product Examples >>

      3. A process or procedure: A specific process apart from the company or product Examples >>

      4. Company Capability: Company capability that crosses all products

        1. Function Leader: The company can be counted on to lead the industry in Function innovation

          1. Size, speed and power Examples >>

          2. Style Examples >>

          3. Choice of products Examples >>

          4. Information and knowledge Examples >>

        2. Reliability Leader: The company can be counted on to lead the industry in major aspects of Reliability – Segment interested in being assured that:

          1. Product will work Examples >>

          2. Product will be available and delivered as promised Examples >>

          3. Company will maintain consistent presence in market Examples >>

          4. Company will respond promptly Examples >>

        3. Convenience Leader: The company can be counted on to be the industry leader in convenience innovations – Segment interested in company with leading:

          1. Location of product for segment Examples >>

          2. Service to find, choose and pay for product Examples >>

          3. Installation capabilities Examples >>

        4. Price Leader: The company can be counted on to lead the industry in price related innovation Examples >>

    2. Limitations set by time: Segment customers according to the causes of the limitations set by time.

      1. Delay related to purchase and installation: Segment customers according to delays before the customer receives or can use the product

        1. Segments where delays cause customers to be inactive. Delays caused by time required for:

          1. Product preparation Examples >>

          2. Product delivery Examples >>

        2. Segments where delays are due to steps a customer must take. Segment must:

          1. Order product Examples >>

          2. Find, choose and pay for product Examples >>

          3. Transport customer or product Examples >>

          4. Install, prepare or maintain product Examples >>

        3. Segments where delays create risk for customers Examples >>

        4. Segments exposed to serial delays due to multiple stops Examples >>

        5. Segments where delays are the result of too many benefits Examples >>

      2. Delays related to location: Identify characteristics related to the location of purchase or use that separate one group of customers from others

        1. Breadth of locations where product is purchased or used

          1. Local Examples >>

          2. Regional Examples >>

          3. National Examples >>

          4. Global Examples >>

        2. Distance from the company, from the product, from competition or from some other preferred location.

          1. Distance from company or product

            1. 1 Customers in office buildings Examples >>

            2. Customers in retail establishments

              1. Segments visiting variety stores Examples >>

              2. Segments visiting grocery stores Examples >>

              3. Segments visiting convenience stores Examples >>

              4. Segments visiting shopping malls Examples >>

              5. Other Examples >>

            3. Customers in residential areas

              1. Segments shopping in home Examples >>

              2. Segments shopping within a few miles of home Examples >>

              3. Other Examples >>

            4. Customers moving from one place to another

              1. Within a mile of product or service Examples >>

              2. Beyond a mile from product or service Examples >>

          2. Distance from competition

            1. Because they are in areas with low population density Examples >>

            2. Because they buy only small quantities in an order Examples >>

            3. Because they need unusual Functions Examples >>

          3. Distance from other preferred location

            1. Customers accessing product concurrently from distant locations Examples >>

            2. Customers having to arrive at central location from distant locations Examples >>

            3. Customers in distant locations seeking suppliers in other distant locations Examples >>

      3. Time limitations due to the pattern of use: Segment customers by the frequency or timing of purchase or use of the product

        1. Frequency of purchase of the product Examples >>

        2. Frequency of use of the product

          1. Daily Examples >>

          2. Other Examples >>

        3. Calendar or clock time of usage Examples >>

        4. Duration of use Examples >>

      4. Time limitations due to the use with other products: Segment customers by their use or purchase of other products with the product. Final customers who use related ancillary products:

        1. At the same time as the main product Examples >>

        2. Before using the main product Examples >>

        3. After using the main product

          1. To complete a broader transaction Examples >>

          2. To store a finished product Examples >>

    3. Economic limitations: Segment customers according to the limitations set by their economic interests and concerns

      1. Spending power of current or potential segments

        1. Below average Examples >>

        2. Above average Examples >>

      2. Segment's approaches to limit on spending

        1. Segments with preferences for periodic or one time payment Examples >>

        2. Segments who might face psychological spending limits

          1. Specific limits on spending Examples >>

          2. Preferences to include product in package of related products Examples >>

          3. Preferences for or against rebates, coupons and points Examples >>

          4. Sensitivity to the price of a component of the product Examples >>

        3. Customer segments with preferences for price point alternatives to the present product

          1. Higher price point

            1. For more Function Examples >>

            2. For more Convenience Examples >>

            3. For more than one Performance benefit category improvement Examples >>

          2. Lower price point

            1. With less Function Examples >>

            2. With less Reliability Examples >>

            3. With less Convenience Examples >>

            4. With fewer benefits in more than one Performance category Examples >>

          3. Both higher and lower price points Examples >>

      3. Potential improvement in income of current customers. Customer segments whose costs could decrease if the supplier:

        1. Created an organization of segment members to save costs Examples >>

        2. Offered the segment use of the operational infrastructure controlled by the supplier Examples >>

      4. Savings of potential product vs. current solution

        1. Level of savings over the current product cost system

          1. Low – product saves 10% or less of current solution cost, including user time Examples >>

          2. Medium – product saves 25% or less of current solution cost, including user time Examples >>

          3. High – Product saves more than 25% of current solution cost, including user time Examples >>

        2. Savings on customer building block costs

          1. People costs Examples >>

          2. Purchases costs Examples >>

          3. Capital costs Examples >>

          4. Multiple costs Examples >>

        3. Savings from the creation of economies of scale for customer segments who incur costs at levels above those of currently available through economies of scale. Examples >>

    4. Health limitations: Find customer segments with health problems or concerns

      1. Customer groups with health problems Examples >>

      2. Customer groups who might have side effects from product Examples >>

3. Intellectual: Segment customers on the basis of their current knowledge and understanding of the company and its products

  1. Knowledge of company and company product

    1. Familiarity with company and brand, crossing all products

      1. Customer knows company, not brand Examples >>

      2. Customer knows brand, not company Examples >>

      3. Customer knows both company and brand – Segment knows company and brand primarily for:

        1. Function Examples >>

        2. Reliability and Convenience Examples >>

        3. Price Examples >>

      4. Customer knows neither company nor brand Examples >>

      5. Customer knows the channel brand but not the producer brand – Segment knows channel brand primarily for:

        1. Function, such as product choice and physical ambiance Examples >>

        2. Reliability and Convenience Examples >>

        3. Price Examples >>

      6. Customer knows both the channel and producer brands Examples >>

    2. Familiarity with specific product

      1. Customer knows of product but does not use it – Segment sees the product as:

        1. Missing a Function

          1. Ambiance/physical surroundings Examples >>

          2. Choice of products Examples >>

          3. Other Examples >>

        2. Not good at Reliability and Convenience Examples >>

        3. High priced Examples >>

      2. Customer segment uses a similar product:

        1. For work Examples >>

        2. For home and leisure

          1. Similar product from a different company Examples >>

          2. Similar product from this company Examples >>

        3. For shopping Examples >>

        4. For leisure activities outside the home Examples >>

      3. Customer segment uses the product:

        1. For work Examples >>

        2. For home Examples >>

        3. For shopping Examples >>

        4. For leisure activities outside the home Examples >>

      4. Customer segment does not know product because the product is:

        1. New on the market

          1. Similar to other products from other companies Examples >>

          2. An original product Examples >>

        2. New in the channel of distribution Examples >>

        3. Untried by the segment

          1. Segment is unaware of the product Examples >>

          2. Segment has outdated experience of the product Examples >>

    3. Knowledge of product technology

      1. Little – very limited exposure, may be new to the market Examples >>

      2. Average – some acquaintance, but may not be current customer in the industry Examples >>

      3. Above average – current customer. Members of the segment are:

        1. Regular non-expert users Examples >>

        2. Expert users Examples >>

  2. Understanding how product works with other products Examples >>

Basic Strategy Guide Users Go To: Step 12

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