HOW TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMERS PROBLEMS

You have to understand your customers problems if you are going to have any shot at turning your idea into a profitable business.

BUT just because you see a problem in the market doesn’t really mean that it is a genuine problem that can attract customers and in fact, have them pay for the solution. The question then becomes WHAT PROBLEM IS YOUR BUSINESS IDEA BASED ON?

There are a number of things you can do to understand your customers problems, but first I want you to understand that the customer is the person who is going to pay for the product or service you aim to sell, which is why the problem only matters if it is their problem.

STEPS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMERS PROBLEMS

Customer engagement is Key

You have to remember that customer experience is a big part of income generation and general customer retention. Which is why you need to engage with your potential customer and existing ones if any, otherwise how will you know what they are experiencing?

Use social media to find out what your customers are going through. As you do this remember to let the customer express their opinion since you are aiming at finding out what they are actually going through and not trying to force your opinion on them.

Create your idea customer avatar

While the simplest thing when trying to understand your customers problems is to go for the generic search for instance, demographic composition, things like age, profession and location they live in. The problem with these data is that they give you general information when in reality you need specific information so that you can target very specific people.

The alternative is to use tools like google analytics which will help you to understand your customer’s preferences by looking at things like, which social media outlets, industry blogs and professional forums they came from or spend time in.

Then use this information of create your ideal customer type and the problems they seem to have

put yourself in your customers’ shoes

You need to have a clear picture of the steps and decisions most of your customers take when buying your services and products.

Most organizations have softwares that help then to map out the steps taken by their customers when buying their products and services. While you may not have such, you still need to have the steps mastered.

SUGGESTED: Forces that can affect your market

Remember it doesn’t really matter whether you think your business idea is good or bad, it all just comes down to the market, customers to be specific.

NOTE

This is article is part of the ‘Idea to profit program’ which you can ACCESS HERE