Getting customers is the lifeblood of any business. Whether you’re running a startup, a growing company, or a mature enterprise, the ability to generate and retain customers directly determines your success. Despite the complex world of modern marketing, sales funnels, and digital tools, the truth is far simpler than it seems: there are only four ways to get customers. Understanding and mastering these four methods is crucial to growing a sustainable and profitable business.
1. Get More Customers from Referrals
Referrals are one of the most trusted and cost-effective methods of acquiring new customers. When someone recommends your business to their network, you benefit from an instant layer of trust that would have taken you weeks or even months to build yourself.
- Happy Customers: Ensure that your current customers are satisfied with your product or service. A delighted customer is the starting point for good referrals.
- Ask Clearly: Don’t be afraid to ask your customers for referrals. Sometimes, a simple request goes a long way.
- Incentivize: Offer rewards or recognition for referrals, such as discounts or small gifts, to encourage more word-of-mouth marketing.
Referrals can create a powerful, self-perpetuating cycle of trust-based growth. However, they cannot be the only strategy you rely on — they should complement other acquisition approaches.
2. Win Business from Competitors
This method is all about offering something better, faster, or more valuable than what your competitors currently provide. Acquiring customers from competitors requires a clear understanding of both your unique value proposition and your competitors’ weaknesses.
- Undercut on Value: You don’t have to be the cheapest option, but you must offer a better value. Whether it’s higher quality, better customer service, or faster delivery — make your edge known.
- Target Discontent: Many customers are unhappy but stay out of habit. Create marketing campaigns aimed at those looking for alternatives.
- Comparison Tools: Use clear, side-by-side comparisons on your website or sales conversations to highlight why switching to you makes sense.
Stealing market share takes effort, but once new customers see the difference, it helps build loyalty.
3. Capture Customers New to the Market
Every industry sees new buyers entering the market, whether it’s first-time homebuyers for real estate businesses or new entrepreneurs looking for accounting software. These customers are “green”, often unfamiliar with the various options and open to guidance.
- Educational Content: Create beginner’s guides, FAQs, and explainer videos that help these customers understand your niche.
- Top of Funnel Marketing: SEO, social media, and awareness ads that attract people beginning their journey are crucial here.
- Trust Signals: Highlight testimonials, trust badges, and clear pricing to reduce the fear of buying from you for the first time.
Focusing on new buyers helps avoid direct competition and makes your brand the first touchpoint they associate with the product or service category.
4. Expand to New Markets
The final method to grow your customer base is by going where you’ve never been before — geographically, demographically, or digitally. Selling the same product to a new market segment can unlock valuable growth and increase your total addressable market.
- Target New Locations: This can mean opening a new retail location, entering a new city with your delivery service, or adjusting your digital strategy to reach new regions.
- Adjust Messaging: What works for one demographic may not resonate with another. Customize your message for different audiences.
- Develop Strategic Partnerships: Work with partners already serving audiences you’d like to reach. Cross-promotions or affiliate setups can help you enter these spaces organically.
Expanding into new markets requires effort and research, but it is one of the most scalable methods of acquiring customers when done right.
In Conclusion
While growth tactics and marketing trends evolve, the core ways to get customers remain timeless. You either:
- Get customers to refer others,
- Convince your competitors’ customers to switch,
- Win new customers entering your market, or
- Expand into markets you haven’t reached yet.
By focusing your energy on refining these four strategies, you can build a customer acquisition system that is not only reliable but also scalable. Every business’s ability to grow comes down to how well it can master at least one — and ideally several — of these core acquisition paths.
