How to understand what your ideal customer is thinking

One simple idea makes your world and mine a better place. Understanding.

Please don’t think I’m getting all sappy on you here. Oh, sure I believe that we need to foster a better understanding of each other before we can all get along on this planet. However, I’m talking about getting to know your prospective buyers and existing customers better.

Yet, in many ways it’s the same thing.

You know from my past columns that a core philosophy I have is “give to get.” Provide value first and then good things will follow for your business. Whether it’s education in the form of a newsletter and special reports, or entertainment using videos that have a core message, or community events you host -- first, you’ve got to understand your audience.

That requires learning what your target audience values. Otherwise, it’s a disservice to your customers. It also requires getting inside your buyers brain. It’s the only way to help your target audience get the results they want.

You read that correctly. The two most important things for you and your business to accomplish are the understanding both the persona and the psychology of your buyer. You need to do these to help your future and current buyers.

After all, your company has an amazing product or service that will help others. But, if you can’t connect with people in a way that gets them to listen, then you’ll waste their time and yours -- because there is no hope of succeeding.

When that happens, of course you lose and so do the potential buyers you can work wonders for. That’s why it’s a disservice to them.

It starts with understanding your specific ideal customer:

• Why are their goals important to them?
• What do they value most?
• What are the problems they need to solve?
• How does that affect their business and personal life?
• How does a perfect solution deliver success?
• What’s important to them when selecting a product and vendor?

Then, understanding why people buy, or not:

• What gets them open your email?
• Why do they click on one Google ad, but not another?
• How do they decide if they like you?
• What makes them receptive to your message?
• Which colors and fonts will catch their attention?
• How do they respond to images versus words?

These are just a handful of the many questions you have to answer when trying to understand your buyer. And, how you gain attention, get heard, convince, and finally convert.

Give to get. Digging up demographics details to define your audience is important. But, a profile like this doesn’t tell you why your customers buy. That’s where personas come in because they provide critical insight. Think of it this way: profiles tell you where to hunt, not how to be attractive. Personas dictate much of what you do -- the content you write, the words you use, emotions you tap into, where you show up, and the offers you make. To get close to demanding buyers, you really need to understand their motivations and get inside their heads.

Personas rock, profiles do not. Digging up demographics details to define your audience is important. But, a profile like this doesn’t tell you why your customers buy. That’s where personas come in because they provide critical insight. Think of it this way: profiles tell you where to hunt, not how to be attractive. Personas dictate much of what you do -- the content you write, the words you use, emotions you tap into, where you show up, and the offers you make. To get close to demanding buyers, you really need to understand their motivations and get inside their heads.

Marketing and selling to help your buyer’s brain. Many companies stop at the above two points. However, if you want to gain a competitive edge, you’ll need to understand key psychological insights and how to use these. Doing so is not a way to practice any type of trickery. It’s just the opposite -- if you can’t relate to and communicate with someone you can help, they’ll never benefit from what you offer. It starts with the “old” brain formed eons ago. It’s the gatekeeper. As we found earlier, the old brain is self-centered. The old brain is also simple and will respond to concrete things, not abstract or complex concepts. The old brain also likes to be shown the way with context and sharp contrast. And, the old brain relates well to stories painted in words and images. If you can’t get the old brain to open up and like you, no amount of logic, zippy product features, or money-saving appeal will do you any good. Your potential buyer loses and opportunity to improve their situation. Here’s a brief primer on how to help prospects make decisions in your favor.

The idea of understanding you audience goes well beyond demographic and market segment descriptions. Get to know your future and current customers as real people. These are people that have real problems to solve and go about doing so in certain ways.

You can only answer the why of buying if you speak the language of your customers and their decision-making old brain. Understanding -- this one simple idea will make your world and mine a better place.

Ron Stein is President of FastPath Marketing (www.marketing-strategies-guide.com) and the author of the Rapid Impact Marketing & Selling Playbook. As a speaker, coach, and consultant he works with small business owners helping them to accelerate the path between their vision and the actions needed to reach, win, and keep customers. Ron is the creator of the FastPath to More Customers Now! 7-step marketing system based on more than twenty years as a successful business owner, corporate CEO, business development executive, and salesman. He is also a mentor at two nationally recognized business accelerators. Ron offers one-on-one and small group mentoring, conducts seminars, and consults. He can be reached at 727-398-1855 or Ron@FastPathMarketing.com.