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You speak to your customers and potential customers every day. In person, via email, on your website, on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. But how can you be sure that what you’re saying actually strikes a chord with them?

You know who your ideal clients are (if you’re not sure, check out my recent post Four simple steps to working with more of your ideal clients) but now you need to get to know them and understand what makes them tick.

First you need to find out what challenges and problems they’re facing, what aspirations they have – then you can see how your service can give them the solution they’re looking for. But this isn’t enough. You need to know how they talk about these challenges and aspirations:

  • What really matters to them?
  • How are they feeling now?
  • How do they want to feel in the future?
  • What do they think about every day?
  • What’s keeping them awake at night?
  • What specific words do they use to talk about their situation and how they want to resolve it?

Only then will you be able to speak and write – about how you can help them and why they should work with you – in a way that truly connects with them.

That all sounds very well, you’re probably thinking, but how do I read my customer’s mind?

Here are four simple steps to find out what your customer really wants

  • Listen to them – Stephen Covey said, “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply”. We think we’re listening to someone but, most of the time, we’re actually thinking about what we’re going to say next. Change this and listen harder, and you’ll get a much deeper insight into what your client is really saying.
  • Ask them – People love being asked for their opinions. You’ll be surprised how willing they’ll be to help, especially if you offer something in return for the time they’re giving up to talk to you. You could send a quick survey to existing clients or set up a short one-to-one conversation with a few people.
  • Ask for feedback – Asking how your clients were feeling before and after working with you is a great way of discovering the exact words they use to describe their challenges and how you’ve helped them.
  • Check your inbox and your social media feed – Emails from clients are a mine of information – people expressing their hopes, fears, challenges and thanks in their own words. You can also get great clues from comments on your own social media pages, as well as Facebook or LinkedIn groups that your ideal clients use.

When you start opening your eyes and ears to all these great sources of info, you’ll be amazed how much you start to notice and absorb. It’s all about heightened awareness when something’s on your mind. A bit like when you’ve set your heart on this season’s must-have shoes and all of a sudden it seems like everyone’s wearing them but you.

When you’ve gathered all this great new insight, play it back to people using their language

Use your client’s’ language every time you speak or write about your business. When they read about your product or service, your goal is for them to say “Oh my goodness, how did you know that’s what I needed? Can you read my mind?!”

Investing time in  understanding your clients will help you feel less like you’re selling and more like you’re making a natural connection with people who need what you have to offer. It’ll help you get new clients and hang on to the ones you’ve already got.

Over to you..

What’s the one thing you’ll do today to get to know your customers a little better? Share it in the comments box and commit to doing it!

Photo credit: Luis Llerena via Unsplash