Chapter 2: KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

Who you serve—and how clearly you serve them—determines your future.
You can’t afford to be vague. In this session, we’ll challenge each other to sharpen our understanding of our ideal customer, clarify the promises we make, and ensure our teams and calendars reflect what matters most.

• Chapter 2 in a 12-Chapter Executives’ Club exclusive series
• Executives’ Club Fargo-Moorhead + Executives Institute Members exclusively

CHAPTER 2: Know Your Customer will focus on the following rules

• RULE NO. 11 — Your Brand is Your Promise
• RULE NO. 12 — Know Your Customer Deeply
• RULEL NO. 18 — Your Calendar Reflects Your Priorities
• RULE NO. 21 — Clarity Creates Confidence

4:00 PM Member Social

4:30 PM Framing this Meeting (10 minutes)

• Recap of Chapter 1 takeaways: Foundations First
• Set the tone: This session is about clarity, alignment, and practical insight—not theory
• Opening Quote: “If your brand is fuzzy inside your walls, it’s invisible outside them.”

2. Executive Roundtable: Who Do You Serve? (20 minutes)
Each CEO shares:

• Who is your ideal customer?
• What are they really buying from you—beyond the product/service?
• What do you believe they value most that your competitors overlook?
  (Time limit: ~2–3 minutes each. Encourage clarity, not perfection.)

3. Rule in Focus: Know Your Customer Deeply (10 minutes)
Brief walkthrough of the Rule and the core idea:

• Empathy isn’t fluff—it’s a strategic advantage
• Depth > demographics
• Your best customers leave clues—are you listening?

4. Paired Discussion: Where Are You Vague? (15 minutes)
In pairs, discuss:

• Where in your business do you assume more than you know about your customer?
• How clearly could your team describe who you serve and why you matter?
• What’s one conversation you need to have with a customer in the next 30 days?

5. Book Insight: Building a StoryBrand or Know Your Customer (10 minutes)

• Share 1-2 big takeaways from featured books
• Prompt: How does your brand story hold up if told from your customer’s point of view?

6. Group Exercise: Brand Clarity Drill (15 minutes)
Each participant answers and briefly shares:

• Our customer is…
• They struggle with…
• They choose us because…
• Our promise to them is…

Encourage quick, unpolished answers. This is about pressure-testing clarity, not crafting marketing language.

7. Wrap-Up & Tease for Next Month (10 minutes)

• Closing reflection: What will you do this month to better serve—or better understand—your best customer?

Preview: Chapter 3: Hiring Without Regret – November 20, 2025

“Your company becomes who you hire and what you tolerate.”

Every hire is a bet on your future. Get it right, and your business gains momentum. Get it wrong, and you pay for it—financially, culturally, and emotionally. This chapter isn’t about filling seats. It’s about building a team that makes your business stronger simply by being part of it.

Optional prep: Come ready to share a hiring mistake and what you learned from it.