I received an email from an online marketer. It wasn’t an intrusion. I’ve invited this marketer to send me her content because I like what she has to say and how she delivers it.
So yesterday, when I received an email from her asking me to watch an attached video, I was pretty excited to check it out. Like I said, I like what she has to say and the way she says it. She’s never boring, always relevant, and never disappoints . . . until today.
She started her video by saying, “I’m guessing you . . .” and she went on to lament what she assumed were the things I struggled with in my business. And we all know what happens when we assume, right?
Here’s the deal. In the 18 months that I have been on her mailing list, she has never one time, neither directly nor indirectly, ASKED ME what I struggled with in my business.
So when she said, “I’m guessing . . . “
She was telling the truth. She was totally guessing.
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL
I know in your head right now you’re asking, “So what’s the big deal?” Well, I’m glad you asked. It’s not like I expected her to send me a personalized email saying, “Hey Andrew, what are some problems you’re struggling with in your business these days?”
Oh wait . . . I WAS expecting that. And you know why?
Because the number one way to meet the needs of your target audience is to KNOW THEIR NEEDS.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
You’ve heard me say it a million times (well, maybe not a million, but a whole helluva lot of times); you need to know your audience. Know
- who they are
- what they do
- what they need
- what they struggle with
- what they succeed at
This information is so easy to acquire if they have signed up to receive email from you. You don’t even have to guess. They have given you direct access to them.
So for goodness sake, take the time to ask. Don’t guess what their needs are.
THE BEEF
If you care enough about your customer to know and solve their problems, your sales will increase drastically. But if you just throw out general solutions to “well-known” problems, you’ll pretty much be doing what anyone else can do. And if anyone else can do it, your customers won’t need you.
Truly understanding who your target audience is and then laser focusing on solving their problems will drastically change how you go about the day-to-day operation of your business, and net very positive results.
