Reducing Vulnerability by Assessing Customer Business Styles

Abstract

One of the reasons many small businesses cease operations is their failure
properly to segment the market. Much of the decision-making entailed in
defining a market has been based on owners' speculations regarding their
customers. The more alternatives open to a firm, the less vulnerable
the firm will be to unexpected customer opinions and actions. One method
for increasing the firm's alternatives can be found in an economical
strategy to facilitate communication between a firm and its customers.
The combination of depth-type interviews and Q method is employed in an
actual case study with a Small Business Institute client to facilitate
communication with his customers and, in so doing, to assist in properly
segmenting the market.