The Importance of Understanding your Clients

In this article I am going to discuss ways in which you can get a better understanding of your clients. The key to gaining more business is by understanding your clients. Not only will it help you to acquire new clients, it will also help you to retain existing clients and give you an edge over your competition.

Determining your clients needs, wants, desires and pain points

In order for you to better serve your clients, you need to know what makes them tick. It's about becoming intimately acquainted with your existing and target market, to better understand how you may serve them. You need to become more valuable to them and cement yourself in their minds as the go to person in your niche, industry or field, no matter what they need or desire.

So, to start off , you need to know what the majority of people desire most in their lives. Most people don't even know what they really want — they cannot actually put it into words. You need to get into the heads of your clients and audience. This is why the correct messaging is so crucial to your business and brand success.

The top 3 to 5 desires most people have

Research has shown that in most cases these are the top desires most people wish to satisfy. People obviously differ one to the other, but at their core, these remain paramount.

• More Money/Wealth
• Get more Time/Freedom/Balance
• Achieve Growth/Success/Results
• Start or improve your business FAST
• Get more information/How to develop and Improve
• Bonus Desire: Making a Difference or creating a Legacy

Determine which of the above your clients/audience resonate with more and you will then know how you need to structure your messaging going forward for maximum impact and action. Obviously these can be tweaked to suit your specific niche so that your messaging always stays on target.

Once you know your clients desires it becomes much easier to communicate correctly and tailor your messaging in line with exactly what they want to hear. This is a very big part of the equation and when you get this right, everything else just falls into place.  

Action Steps:

Now you/we will go through an exercise where you will get to know exactly what your clients wants, needs, desires and pain points are, related to your products and services.

Step 1 - Know the Top 5 "wants" of your clients

When it comes to your products and services, what are the 5 "wants" people have? It's about them getting off the fence and making a sale. To succeed at this you need to understand "internal" and "external" Influence.

If there is no "want", most likely there will be no SALE. Create the "wants" through effective questioning. 

Step 2 - Know the Top 5 "needs" of your clients

When it comes to your products and services, what are the 5 "needs" people have? Important to remember that this is not what's "wanted" but rather what's "needed".

If there is no "need", most likely there will be no SALE. Create the "need" through effective questioning.

HOW?

Speak to your peers

Research only the "needs" at this stage

1. Tell your peers about your Product or Service

2. Ask multiple of your peers the following questions: a. If you were to need this product or service, what do you think the need would be? b. What is the outcome you would ideally want to get?

3. What urgent problems would you want to solve centered around your product or service?

NB: A lot of people do not understand why they would need your product or service themselves, so it's up to you to get them into a place where they do understand it.

Step 3 - Know the Top 5 "desires" of your clients

When it comes to your products and services, what are the 5 "desires" that your clients have? Reference back to the top desires most people have and see how your product or service fits into one of those desires.  

If there is no "desire", most likely there will be no SALE. Create the "desire" through effective questioning.

HOW?

Speak to your peers

Research only the "needs" at this stage

1. Tell your peers about your Product or Service

2. Ask multiple of your peers the following question: " If you had our product or service, what would be your dream desired outcomes, results or successes?

Lastly, we have a look at what your clients pain points are and make sure we address them completely so that we ensure maximum conversion.

Step 4 - Know the Top 5 "pain points" of your clients

When it comes to your products and services, what are the 5 "pain points" that need to be addressed to ensure we have put the minds of our clients at ease that we can deliver what is required?

When we start developing our message we are going to include pre-objection handling in our messaging. You will position and answer any objections before they even come up. It's about understanding and addressing any fears or pain points that your potential clients may have.

We want to include pre-objection handling in our messages so that we can allay their fears and remove any reasons for not taking action.  

HOW?

Speak to your peers

Research only the "fears" at this stage

1. Ask multiple of your peers the following questions:

a. If this was your product or service, "What would the fears be, what issues would you need to have addressed?"

b. What would you be concerned about?

c. What would you fear?

d. What scepticism do you have around the product or service?

2. What things do you think could go wrong? Addressing these concerns and issues in our messaging removes a lot of the barriers to making an actual sale plus making a far more powerful impact on the people we are talking to. 

In conclusion

The key to providing a good service is by having a deep understanding of your clients. By providing your clients with a good service, they are more likely to continue to invest into your business if they have a positive experience. By building this customer relationship, not only will you retain them as a client but you are more likely to acquire new customers through positive word-of-mouth recommendations.