Finding your business core (pt 2): Are you talkin’ to me?

In part 1, we talked about finding your business sweet spot, and your core message, at the intersection between you and your audience.

Let’s start with your audience.

If you try to talk to everyone, you’ll end up talking to no-one

You get this, right? We’re shooting for conversation, and conversation is built on common ground. It’s pretty difficult to find common ground with 6 billion people.

So we’re all human, huh?

Let’s not try to talk to everyone.

How about the people who might use your thing* at some time or another?

*You know, your Thing. The wonderful thing you make or do that helps people.

Sounds better, but this is still a pretty large group. Classic marketing will tell you to narrow your scope further to those who really want your thing.

People who really want your thing:

• have, and are keen to do something about, the problems you can solve
• are interested in hearing from someone (like you) who can help with their problem
• may even be actively looking for someone (like you) who can help with their problem
• are sometimes known as ‘motivated’ or ‘desperate’ buyers.

By the way, if the idea of targeting ‘desperate’ people is setting off your sleazy marketing radar – think about it as the people you are most able to help. It’s truly the flip side of the same coin. Of course the people you are most able to help are going to be the ones most motivated to buy from you.

A horribly stereo-typed example (forgive me)

Let’s say you’re selling vacuum cleaners.

You may occasionally sell a cleaner to a young guy who’s recently left home. Maybe. (If they’ve had a party and the landlord is arriving in an hour.) So ‘young home-leavers’ could conceivably fall into the category of people who might buy your vacuums at some time or another. But they’re not really motivated to buy, they’re not really keen to do something about their dirty carpets, and they’re more likely to be looking for the cheapest option.

Meanwhile, you also sell quite a few cleaners to stay-at-home mums. They often have more than one child plus a pet. They’re home-owners, they have nice carpets, and they really want to keep them clean and in good condition. They want a quality solution and are willing to invest in it.

Which customer do you want? Who should you be talking to?

Letting go is hard

Letting go of the ‘maybe’ customers is a tough step for many business people. Often I’ll be working with a client, and we’ll be talking about their core audience, and they’ll say, “but I occasionally have this other type of customer and I don’t want to put them off.” They’re anxious about ‘missing out’ on any selling opportunity.

Trust me, when you focus on the people who really want you, your conversations are going to be much more effective and you’re going to attract more of your best customers. And those occasional outliers? You’ll always get those too. It just happens like that.

But wait, there’s more.

Within the ‘motivated’ buyers there’s an even smaller group – your ideal people. These are the people who are not only looking for solutions like the one you offer, they’re the perfect fit for you and your business.

They’re the ones who truly value you, what you offer, and how you deliver it. They want to have an ongoing relationship and conversation with you. They’re not only loyal and pleasant to deal with – they also promote you to others because they trust you.

A personal example

Let’s take my thing – smart fresh writing for businesses.

People who might use my thing: Any business needing words for a page.

People who really want my thing: Businesses looking for professional advice and assistance to improve their online communications.

My ideal people: Passionate, mindful businesses looking for communications advice and copy that reflects their values and works for their customers. People I like, and who like me.

Remember, these are YOUR ideal people

The final step to your ideal people isn’t about demographics or market research – it’s about you. And that’s what I’ll be talking about in part 3 of this series…

Questions? Thoughts? Put ‘em in the comments!

19 Jan 10   |   Read more on Your Business Core   |   3 Comments »