SeeSharp Blog

Your Customers: What Do They Want?

It’s a dumb thing to say we’re in business to simply serve customers.

Lets face it.. The happier the customers are, the more money you make. It’s a no brainer, right?

Problem is, customers don’t form a line in front of you, eagerly awaiting your services. You need to earn their business, and it all starts by capturing their attention.

When it comes to attention, many businesses just don’t get it. Many naively believe that having “the best product” is the only formula to win.

Hopefully that’s not you.

While on a primitive level customers do want “the best product”, what they really want needs to be at the forefront of your marketing communications.

Sure, having a great product may serve as Business Success 101, but you first need happy human beings with willing credit cards. Therefore, it’s important to dive deep and have a thorough understanding of what truly makes them trade money for your products or services.

Here are the 3 things customers truly want to see from you, in order to make a purchasing decision:

A single solution to their problems

Customers come to your business because they have a problem; and as a professional, they expect you to have a solution.

These problems start from an external influence, which then creates an internal negative feeling, and an unresolved world view.

“My accounts are not balanced, I am bogged down with all the outstanding invoices (external), I am running out of cashflow and it’s stressing me out, I could be out of business in 2 months (internal). I just don’t understand accounting, it’s not even my job (philosophical).

Customers want one single solution to their problem when they view your website. Not a sophisticated methodology of how to use Excel, not the latest subscription to MYOB, not a detailed 14-page proposal, and certainly not certified copies of your degrees and achievements.

Compare that to another accountant’s website, without the buffet-style approach, that simply says: “Take the accounting load off your shoulders, and focus on what you do best.''

What this customer really wants, is business as usual. They want someone to crunch the numbers for them, give them the advice that will improve their cashflow, so that they can finally be on top of every invoice on time.

Moral of the story is this: Your business needs to be known for one thing. Even if you have 55 solutions and products, you cannot communicate them all - you’ll lose business.

Better versions of themselves

People don’t buy products, they buy better versions of themselves.

Athletes don’t just buy the latest pair of Skins for show and tell, or just to look good. Perhaps on a primitive level, they do. But it’s important that we go far deeper than that.

Their goal is to win the golden trophy and BECOME A CHAMPION. And it all starts with a pair of Skins..

Why? They want the compression benefits so that they can perform better with efficient circulation, so that they can train 5 days a week with minimal risk of injury, so that they can focus on one thing: Improving their performance and stamina.

Same goes to little Jim from American Pie - while his goal was to lose his virginity before college, what he really wanted was to be recognised amongst his peers and find meaningful relationships.

Your customers want a product that helps them to become successful. They can’t even articulate it, but it’s permanently and subtly installed in their subconsciousness.

People don’t just sign up for the gym because they want to use equipment, they want to get ripped and impress others. People don’t just want a perfectly manicured, landscaped backyard, they want a perfect outdoor lifestyle to brag to their friends over a BBQ party.

Here are some other examples:

Management Consulting - look smart to their staff and in the boardroom
Solar Power - a wise manager of their money and resources
Fashion - a true reflection of self

Focus on what they really want, not just what they want.

Here’s a pro-tip: Feature happy smiley people enjoying the end game on your website, and watch your sales double in months.

A Clear Transformation

Even if you’re in experienced-based businesses like travelling, fitness, cosmetic or health, it’s important that you stay away from honing too much into the experience. Rather, start selling the transformation.

If you’re a massage therapist, the truth is most people don’t even enjoy getting a massage - it’s painful and uncomfortable. What people do enjoy though, is the relaxed feeling at the end when they walk out.

The transformation in this case is from being tired and wandering like a zombie, to a relaxed winner in life with a clear and motivated state of mind.

The “experience” in you delivering your products and services is only a means to an end. People don’t care how you perform your job, they only have the outcome in mind.

If you’re a process-driven business, do yourself a favour and get rid of your “process plan” such as:

Rather, show them this: