“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Anonymous

The most important thing in today’s marketing, is “what your customer wants.”

People most of the time aren’t as interested in what you do as in how what you do affects them.

Your customer’s aren’t going to pay simply for what you know but how it solves whatever pain they are experiencing or need that they have.

For them, it’s “What’s in it for me?”

You will need to create good value in order for them to part with the kind of money you are looking for (especially if you’re looking to build some good income base from the customers you serve.)

The questions you will be seeking are:

1. What pain are my target customers experiencing?

2. What do they want?

3. What benefit can I provide for them?

4. What will they gain by using what I’m offering?

5. What need(s) are my competitors not addressing?

The more value you can provide, the more you are entitled to.

Give what you will be proud of, all the time.

Ask them sincerely what they want.

A dress maker for example should be asking her customers or intending customers the right questions:

When the customer feels that you are sincerely interested in their needs, the more they will be willing to part with their money.

They won’t only be paying for the dress (in this instance) but for the psychological benefits of wearing an outfit crafted to suit the need to look glamourous, confident, sophisticated or simply just well put together.

Use this strategy for any of your businesses/ventures.

Three things you can do right now are:

1. ASK:

Ask your customer these questions now or when they come to you for business.

Find out from them what they really would want out of the product or service you ae offering.

2. LISTEN:

Listen to them, take down notes and make plans to satisfy their wants.

Everybody wants to be listened to so be sincere in wanting to know what they want because that should be the basis of why you are in business – to solve a problem.

3. CONDUCT:

Carry out a survey on potential or existing customers. (Ask me how)

This will validate if what you have to offer (your idea, products and services) will cut it. This will give you a great level of direction and make your efforts count.

4. DO:

Be effective in putting together a strategy to employ all your findings from your research in order to produce that “perfect” value for your customers. In all you do just be sure to deliver.

Even if you’ve been experiencing some level of success in your business and want to go up higher, find out from your customers what else you can do for them. Find out how you can improve the quality of the business or give them more value for their bucks.

If you choose to increase the cost of your service, you would already have established your business as a brand that is customer-oriented.

These tips may seem far-fetched, but just try them out and compare your results over time.

Let me know your thoughts or any related experiences you’ve had in your business.