September – October, 2020 Volume 17 — Issue 97
Before we can expect to provide ideal service to our ideal customers, we need to know them. I mean, really, really know them. As a small business owner or marketer, we need to clearly understand our ideal customers’ pain points. We are (hopefully) coming out of our unique pandemic disruption. There is a clear need that we learn to understand the new pain points of ideal clients acquired during the unprecedented business disruption.
What drives our ideal customers crazy on a pretty regular basis? What keeps them from sleeping at night? Regularly occurring annoyances show up over and over again, getting in the way of their growth. Knowing and understanding those new pain points helps provide ideal solutions to their problems. Understanding provides clarity about their wants and needs as well as what you might do to help them improve their business and personal lives.
Even those small business owners who feel they had a good understanding of their client bases were blindsided back in February and March when news of a deadly virus hit the airwaves. Major changes we were unprepared for entered our lives and our businesses. Now, little more than six months later, new changes are still occurring. This time, however, the life changes are carrying a better ‘vibe’ with them.
Skies Are Clearer Now Than Six Months Ago
That enormous black hole representing our pandemic economy has become a bit clearer. The world didn’t end and things are beginning to feel a bit more positive. Most states are opening up to some degree now. The US economy didn’t totally tank as we were sure it would. Unemployment has already begun to shrink. Everything is definitely not totally back to what it was at the end of 2019, but things are not as foreboding as they were in March.
How well can we understand prospects’ needs now that they have spent over six months in an environment no one has experienced in their lifetime? No one, world wide, has been exempted from this recent pandemic. How can we adjust our customer personas to include major lifestyle and disruptive business changes dropped on the world?
Myths: How Well Small Businesses Know Their Customers and Prospects
I know this sounds simplistic, but the best thing can do is just ask them! Really. Where else can you get more direct and honest feedback? Here are a few myths to dispel first about how well you know your prospects and customers:
- Small business owners and leaders clearly understand their customers.
- All customers and prospects know exactly what pain and problems surround them.
- All customers and prospects in your market have the exact same problems to be solved.
- Every small business and its owner in your market are exactly alike.
- It takes a boatload of money to do surveys and research into customer problems.
Each of the five myths noted above are false – inaccurate – and, well, somewhat stupid to believe. Here are more accurate, closer to reality, perspectives:
- Too many small business owners fall into a ‘clueless’ category when it comes to customer needs.
- Unfortunately, customers and prospects often are at a loss when it comes to their challenges.
- Just like every individual is different, businesses and business models vary as well.
- No two customers or prospects in the specific industry sector you serve are alike.
- There are expensive ways to collect customer data; and there are simpler, hands-on approaches that work too.
Life of Complete Uncertainty is Starting to Shift
Positive changes are beginning to take place related to the unprecedented pandemic. People are thinking in more positive ways. Word is, they see more potential for business returning. It’s time to again get familiar with your clients and prospects. There is no time like now to find how your clients’ lives have changed over the past six to nine months. What new pain points do your ideal customers need to think about getting rid of? It’s time to review your existing products/services to see if they remain relevant to buyers’ needs.
Talk with prospects and customers, or conduct research if you have the necessary time, money and opportunity. Peel back the ugly underbelly caused by COVID-19 to uncover their true wants and needs now, not six months ago. Then, adapt the products/services you were providing for them last year, or create new ones that meet their altered needs and pain points. You can learn a great deal about effects heaped on your customers and prospects. And, you can also learn what you can and should deliver to solve their current post- or mid-COVID problems.
How to Once Again Understand Ideal Customer Pain Points
Your primary goal should be to understand how your prospects & customers think. What are their true problems, how will they attempt to solve them, and how can you fit into the solution? Some prefer to call their list segments personas, turning a description into a fictitious human being like ‘Sally Startup’ or ‘Leonard Legal Eagle’. Remember back in the 1996 US election when we heard talk about ‘Soccer moms’ and ‘NASCAR dads’? Those ‘segments’ of a customer base come with descriptions of what those people have in common. If you understand each segment, it helps you find and reach out to them. Then, you can help you solve their common problem or pain point.
The best way to divide your contact list/database is to segment it by customer types as mentioned above. Break down your larger ‘everyone and anyone’ list into a number of smaller customer categories. Here are a number of Persona Templates you can select from to get started.
Ok, maybe you’re not sure how to get started on this important research. A customer persona needs to describe a specific segment of the broader number of similar customers and prospects. Boardview.io recommends the following seven factors to consider as you segment your customer list into areas of ‘specific needs’:
- Persona goals – concrete objectives they share
- Persona demographics – age, place, role name
- Persona pain – frustrations, concerns, barriers, challenges
- Persona media & device preference – most used sources or devices
- Persona image – photographic impression of what they might look like
- Persona role & responsibility – who reports to, seniority on job
- Persona biography – narrative of typical daily life or past events
Understanding Ideal Customers’ New Pain Points – Wrap Up
No two customers or prospects are the same. Clients may seem the same, but each have their own wants, needs and challenges. They won’t all look for the same answers or solutions for their problems. The more you can separate your database into different and more specific segments, the better your results for marketing to reach new customers. Prospects search for different solutions because their problems differ. The closer you can come to being their ideal solution provider, the more likely they are to respond to your marketing messages and buy from you.
As you begin this journey, keep the ‘prize’ in mind. It may not be quick or easy, but it will be well worth the time, effort and any funding you need to do the research. If you need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Through our executive and small business management coaching packages, we can set up a solution to your challenge. Our goal is to help small businesses like yours identify and regain control over obstacles in the way of your firm’s growth and success.
