Action Step 24: Media Kit Assignment - Target Customer Choose 5 magazines and/or online sites that your Target Customer reads or visits Locate a media kit for each Compare the magazines & sites using your new eyes and define the target market for each Compare your new-eyes profile with the demographic & psychographic information and rank the magazines from 1 to 5 Even if you can't afford to advertise due to costs, you can keep an eye on competitors & your target market

Profiling In Action - Action Step 25: Initial Customer Profile Based on what you know continue to profile your Target Customer using: Census, SRDS, Strategic Business Insights Market Research.com, Experian EASIdemographics To profile your B2B customers use: Hoovers, D&B, Edgar Online, LinkedIn Jigsaw, infoUSA, ThomasNet

Action Step 26: Interview and Observe Prospective Target Customers Observe your customer in the marketplace Take notes as you simply observe Prepare for interviews Develop questions in advance Avoid simple yes - no questions Keep an open mind Consider conducting research online Post questions to social networks Check out Survey Monkey & Ask Your Target Market

Visualizing Your Target Customer - Action Step 27: Target Customer Collage Develop a collage - a composite image of your target customer Make a list of your customers' favorite things and make it part of your collage Your collage should represent the demographics, geographics & psychographics of your market Keep your collage in your line of sight as you prepare to hit the market FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

Action Step 28: Evaluating Customer Touchpoints Investigate your customer's perception of the competition Walk through purchasing your competitors' products with a group of your target customers Identify customer touchpoints Ask the target customers to rank the five most important touchpoints Decide which touchpoints are worth competing for Capitalize on the touchpoints that make you stand out in a crowd in your Business Plan

Action Step 29: Scouting Competitors and Finding Your Position on the Competitive Ladder Complete secondary research on competitors - the more you find the more you learn Develop a competitor review sheet for each competitor Start snooping

Action Step 30: Construct a Competitor Matrix List major competitors on the vertical axis List important benefits to your Target Customers and elements for success on the horizontal axis Rank each competitor on a scale of 1 to 10 Rank your new venture and rate yourself You may find an underserved market You will have an excellent overview of your competitors and your opportunities