Why Your Best Customers Should Design Your Business

Lately, I’ve been hearing from entrepreneurs who feel stuck. They’ve got decent sales, solid products, and a good team, but things just aren’t moving like they used to. Revenue flatlines. Profit stalls. Growth feels harder than ever.

My first question is always this:
Who are your best clients, and what are they trying to tell you?

Most business owners can’t answer that.

You can’t treat every sale like it’s equal. That thinking? It’s a growth killer.

Your best clients (the ones who love what you do, pay what you’re worth, and tell others about you) are already lighting the path forward. You just have to follow it.

Your best client already knows what works

Here’s what I want you to do this week: Let your best clients lead the way.

Seriously. They’re doing it already through their buying behavior, their feedback, and their loyalty.

Look at:

• What they’re buying

• What they’re raving about

• How do they respond to pricing

• How often do they come back

• Whether they refer others to you
  

This is real data that’s more valuable than any focus group or gut feeling. Your top clients are showing you what they want more of, and by extension, what you should be doubling down on.

The 20% that changes everything

You’ve probably heard of the 80/20 rule, in which 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. The same is true for your client base.

Start by listing the top 20% of your clients, by revenue and by how much you enjoy working with them. (Yes, both matter.)

Now, analyze what those clients are buying.

• If they’re buying your highest revenue and highest margin offerings, great! They are the heart of your business. Serve them better. Upsell. Reward loyalty. Build around them.

• If they’re mostly buying your “middle mix” (decent but not your most profitable stuff), they may not know what else is available. Introduce them to better options. Educate and guide.

• If they’re buying your lowest-margin, most painful offerings, you’ve got a problem. These clients are draining your time, energy, and money. You either need to shift them to better offers or let them go.

This analysis can change your business. I’ve seen it happen again and again.

Not all sales are created equal.

Not all customers are dream customers. Not all sales are good sales.

Yes, I know how counterintuitive that feels. I’ve been there. In the early days, I thought every sale was a win. If someone was willing to give me money, I took it. But over time, I learned that certain customers were draining our team, blowing up our processes, and reducing our profit, all while taking the same (or more) energy as our best clients.

That’s not growth. That’s slow collapse in disguise.

You’re allowed, encouraged, even, to prune your client base so your business can thrive.

Deep dive, anyone?

Want to really dig into this? I’ve laid out the framework across a few of my books:

• The Pumpkin Plan – Chapter 3 (pages 37–50): Learn how to identify your “Atlantic Giant” clients –  the ones you should build your business around.

• Fix This Next – Chapter 3 (pages 54–67): See how predictable sales come from focusing on clients who value what you do.
  

• Get Different – Chapter 3 (pages 51–55): Use the Crush/Cringe method to separate dream clients from energy vampires.

Why this matters now

The market is shifting. Buyer behavior is changing. And the businesses that will succeed are the ones that stay close to their best customers and build around what’s actually working.

Final thought

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Seth Godin:
“Don’t find customers for your products. Find products for your customers.”

That’s what this is about.
Serving the right people, in the right way, at the right time. So everyone wins.

Let your best clients lead the way. They’re already showing you how.

Now all that’s left… is to follow.

– Mike