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Small Business Marketing: What Does Your Customer Want?

By Allison Babb

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 07Feb2009 Word count: 647 Viewed: 248 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

One of the key mistakes new entrepreneurs make is to create a product or service then try to sell it to someone. Typically they have a passion or talent and true value to offer. However, they are unaware of the needs of the person that they are trying to sell to. This new entrepreneur will become increasingly frustrated because they know that they have a good product and they know what they are trying to sell can really help people. And they remain baffled by why no-one wants to buy. Often at the root of this problem is the lack of awareness of who your target market is and also what they want. If you are unaware of your target market, you can refer to my previous article with tips on how to find that out. When you become clear on your target market, then you will need to go discover what they key needs are. You can make this discovery in a variety of ways.

But first let's focus on what you need to find out: Their greatest pains & frustrations: Put aside what you're selling for a moment and just find out what their greatest pains and frustrations are. Don't try to see how that fits your product just yet. Just find out what it is.

Their greatest desires: This is the flipside of their frustrations. What do they want most? Their greatest desires that often escapes them. Solutions they are seeking: This is related to both categories above but are the solutions to the pains, problems, frustrations and helps them to achieve their deepest desires.

Example: Let's say you are a virtual assistant (someone who provides administrative services to solo entrepreneurs). First, figure out precisely who your target market is (remember serving "everyone" is suicidal in business). When you know who your target market is (e.g. Financial Advisors), then you can start discovering what they want.

Here are a few ways in which you can discover what they want:

Find your target market in your community, take them out to lunch or just call them up and ask for a few minutes of their time.

Ask a friend if they know any financial advisors and let them know that a mutual friend referred you. Ask the 3 questions above.

Do google searches and get onto web sites and read what's happening with your target market

Get onto web sites of your potential competitors and checkout how they are marketing to your target market

Get a couple magazines that are typically read by your target market and find out what they are reading and why

Do a mini survey using a free tool like www.surveymonkey.com

What to do with that information:

Ask questions: In our example above, let's say that you, as a Virtual Assistant, find out that their greatest frustration is all the paperwork they have to file and process. You can ask questions about what makes that so frustrating or painful. What created that frustration in the first place? How long have they been enduring that frustration? What would make that frustration go away? What would life be like without that frustration? What would be the perfect solution for that frustration? So you're asking a lot of questions about what the pain or frustration is and what would solve that pain or frustration for them.

Take plenty of notes. Why? Because the exact words they are using to answer your questions are precisely how you will market and sell your products. When you describe your product or service, you must find a way to connect that description with your target market is describing as their pains, frustrations or desires. When they see their own words in your ad or flyer etc., they will immediately identify with you, your product, and your business because it sounds like exactly what they are looking for.

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