In today’s marketplace, it is important to know that people purchase to solve problems that they have right now. Whether they buy a product or service is dependent upon whether or not the pain of the problem is so great that if they don’t make a buying decision, the problem will linger and fester and get worse, causing significantly more damage. As a service based entrepreneur, it is imperative that you understand this. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs get an idea for a product or service, get excited and begin to produce it without ever ensuring that the people the product would be for actually need and want the product as a solution. If you are creating products based on what you THINK your ideal clients want because you’d want that, STOP immediately. It’s not enough to have a great product or service idea; you must be sure that you are clear what your ideal clients want and then, and only then, should you offer solutions to the exact problems that they have and are ready to buy the solution to.
It is important to note that there are seven reasons why people buy YOUR product or service:
1. They are clear that your product or service will solve their problem.2. They, after listening to you speak or meeting you in person, believe that they need to extend their experience with you to learn more and increase their success.3. Your product or service will make them more money.4. Your product or service will save them money.5. Your product or service will save them time or effort.6. Your product or service will increase their happiness or fulfillment.7. They believe that they will actually be able to complete your product or service, thereby getting a sense of accomplishment.
If you want to make sure that you create products and services that will be purchased, instead of collecting dust in your office, consider these 5 quick tips:
Clarify your ideal clients for the product or service you would like to create – just because someone is in need of your product or service, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will buy it. You’ve got to be sure of what they want and need and make sure that they can afford to buy it right now. This is why you can’t just pick a target market for your products and services. You must create a niche and an avatar for your one, ideal client type. Perhaps you are a professional organizer. You understand the importance of living and working in an organized space; however, some people in your very broad target market may not have a problem with the clutter. If you want to sell your product or service, you’ve got to clarify who would actually pay for it and focus on sharing the results and benefits they’d achieve if using your product or service. You must identify who they are, the issues they have and what they need most RIGHT NOW to resolve that issue. Lots of entrepreneurs are jaded enough to believe that “they can help everyone” or “their product is for everyone.” This could not be farther from the truth and until you clarify the exact person that your product or service is for by understanding their pain points and demographics, your product or service will be sitting on a shelf.
Survey your ideal clients – Once you clarify who would want a product or service that you offer, the best way to know what they want so that you can deliver exactly what they want and need is to ask them what they need. Seems obvious, I’m sure, but you’d be surprised how often this step gets overlooked. Use a simple surveying tool or attend a networking event where your ideal clients hang out and ask them the questions that you need to be answered so that you can create the product or service of their dreams.
Use their words – when they take the time to tell you what they want, don’t get cute; use their words to create the concepts and lessons and solutions in the products or service. If they say, “I want to learn how to organize my office in 1 hour because I don’t have a lot of time and need to be more productive.” Create a solution called “How to organize your office in one hour to increase your productivity.” For those that said that’s what they want, they will jump on it and purchase right away. They’ll also be impressed because you listened and gave them what they want.
Complete a test market – After creating the product or service, test it out. You can complete a test market and share the product or service with a few of your ideal clients on a trial basis to make sure that it meets their needs and it’s exactly what they want. A great way to do this with lots of people is by creating a free preview to the product or service. In doing a free preview call, you can share the key concepts, speak to the pain that it solves for your ideal clients and get immediate feedback from participants to ensure that it meets their needs and wants. Because you’ve assembled your ideal clients in one place, it is also a great place to position the product or service by making them an irresistible offer to participate in the full version for continued learning and results.
Create a consistent marketing plan – once the product has been created to your ideal clients specifications, create a plan to get it out there where your ideal clients will see it en masse. Consistency is key in your marketing efforts and you want to be sure to maximize all marketing streams to ensure that no matter where your ideal clients are, they are learning that you are the ONLY solution to their problem and your new product or service is not only what they need but what exactly they WANT.
Darnyelle A. Jervey is a transformation speaker, coach, author, and consultant. She is the CEO of Incredible One Enterprises, LLC. For more information, visit www.darnyelle.com