How to uncover your customer’s deepest desires
I saw this great poster on Pinterest. It said:
“Introverts of the world, UNITE! Separately. In our own homes.”
THAT’S SO ME!!!
There’s a running joke at our house that I’m the “copy troll” who works in the basement and only ventures out into the blinding sunlight when forced to…
This is actually pretty common for people who are interested in marketing.
One of the appeals of running an online business is that you can interact with people on YOUR terms.
If you’re an introvert too, you might have noticed that the world is full of extroverts who want to “fix” you.
They’re always trying to “get you out of your shell.”
Which only makes me want to retreat to my cave and roll a rock over the opening…
There’s NOTHING wrong with being an introvert. In fact, there are some major benefits to it.
But one of the drawbacks is it that it makes it harder to get to know your market.
The key to creating products that people really want to buy… and the key to writing the copy that really sells those products… is a deep understanding of your market’s fears, desires and pains.
Now depending on your market, you can get some of that from observing what people do and say online. And this can be a great place to start.
But there’s really no substitute for rolling the rock away from the mouth of the cave and stepping out into your customer’s world.
The best way to do that is to track down a few of your prospects and talk to them.
Like, in person over coffee, if that’s possible. Or over Skype.
I’m always surprised how many juicy details I get from these conversations.
The other day I was talking to a mortgage broker to understand his business better. He told me that one of his major worries is FRAUD, and he gave me a great little story that I can use:
This guy calls him up because he wants to get pre-qualified for a mortgage. And while they’re going through the questions, the broker asks him, “What’s your income?”
And the guy replies, “What do you need my income to be?” Wink wink, nudge nudge.
Think I can use a story like that? At this point I’d spent HOURS reading blog posts and discussions on forums, and I still didn’t realize brokers were so worried about the fraud issue.
I have to admit, though, while these interviews are solid gold, I still get nervous before I do them.
I’ve found that the way to make sure I get the info I need to write amazing copy is preparing beforehand.
When you have the right questions lined up, the conversation flows naturally and you don’t feel nervous or awkward at all.
If the thought of calling your customers up and grilling them about their business turns your blood to ice, my coaching program can help.
I’ll work with you to develop the right set of questions to pull out your customer’s deepest desires and pain points.
Contact me and I’ll add you to the waiting list.