Understand What Motivates People

"You have to find out how to press the "hot buttons" that turn consumers on, and this reality means gaining an understanding of what motivates them in real-life situations."² To turn people on, you must, first, find out what they really want, and then, show them how to get it.

Define Your Target Market

Think of your target market and clients you wish to work with – list the best qualities. What is their specific title or profession? Can they be categorized easily? List every important quality you can come up with. Consider geography, cultures, age, income level, values, interests, etc.

Example: My target market is small business owners who provide professional services such as accounting, architecture, engineering, IT, coaching, consulting. They operate their businesses with a high degree of integrity, they value building relationships with their clients and they are interested in growing their companies. Also, they are enjoyable to work with and they appreciate a good laugh and fun!⁶

Offer a Solution To Your Customers' Problems

Selling Is Problem Solving

What problems do your current or potential customers face? List 5 distinct problems, issues, pains, dilemmas, challenges, worries, fears, unsatisfied desires – even if they seem unrelated to the services you offer. Write these succinctly and clearly.

For each of the 5 problems/pains listed, spell out your solution – what customer value do you produce; what can your clients expect to get out of your work with them? Don't just list your services here. Instead, specify the end-result benefit they will receive.  Speak to your market as if you know them personally; appeal to your market's desires and pains.

For example, if the problem is, "They never have enough time," your solution and value proposition might be, "Our services take the pressure off you and give you less to deal with." The solution is not your service per se, it is the time-saving result your service translates into.⁶... More

Understand the Dynamics of Customer Needs

Understanding customer needs will help you define new market opportunities and drive innovation and revenue growth in every aspect of your organization.

In the new rapidly changing economy, however, customer predictability is dead. "Whatever a customer wants today may not be what he or she wants tomorrow. Or he or she may want more of it. If you're offering low prices, customers want those prices slashed further. If you're offering state-of-the art products, they want them newer still. In meeting ever-increasing customer demands for lower, faster, better, and newer, companies are driving themselves and their competitors to the brink."⁴

You can't predict the future, but by establishing effective change management practices you can be ready for whatever it brings.

Use Different Types of Interaction

You don't need a degree in psychology to compete successfully in the marketplace, but you do need some way to figure out the different styles of interaction different people prefer to use. People tend to lead their decision-making process with one of the four functions: intuition, thinking, feeling, and sensing. Vividly differentiated differences that are anchored to a product and engage the above functions can enhance memory of your current and prospective customers... More