How to Communicate More Effectively with Your Customers
You know you have a great product or service. Your customers rave about how much they love it….once they finally buy. But you’re finding that it takes them awhile to make the purchase, and you can’t figure out why. Some days you even think about going back to the drawing board, revamping your product or rebranding your service.
But the problem may be more simple than that. The problem may lie with how you’re communicating to your target market.
Ask yourself: do you really know who your target market is? Sure, you may know that they’re married men between the ages of 20 and 55. But if that’s as far as you’ve gotten, you have more work to do.
The fact is that your customer (or potential customer) isn’t a demographic or a statistic. They’re individuals. If, in your business communications, you speak to them as individuals, you’ll be more likely to get their attention and their business.
To make it easier, start by creating an avatar (or persona) of your ideal client. This may be based on an actual client or the type of client you most enjoy doing business with.
Try to get specific by answering questions like:
- What is their name, gender, age and marital status?
- How much education do they have?
- What is their profession and title?
- What is their household income?
- How many children and/or pets do they have?
- What are their personal qualities and what do they value?
- What do they do in their spare time?
- What is their greatest pain or need that your product/service can solve?
Remember, the more detail you can come up with, the better. You might even consider finding a stock photo that best represents what you imagine this person to look like.
By going through this exercise, you’ll no longer be communicating with a vague idea of your ideal customer. You’ll be speaking to and about a “real” person.
Okay, you may be thinking, but how does that help me get more sales?
Once you have a solid grasp of who your ideal customer is, you’ll be able to more effectively address their problems (and how you can help them) in all your business communications. The avatar you create will help you put yourself in his or her shoes and empathize with the challenges they’re facing.
By showing your customers and potential customers that you understand what they’re facing and want to help them, you build trust and credibility. And that, in turn, will help attract new customers, shorten your sales cycle and all but ensure repeat business.