By Debbie Silverman, – Human Behavior Specialist Conversation Expert
3 Timeless Truths To Raving Fans is all about building your brand purpose solely around your customers’ needs, desires, experiences and pain points.
It’s also about moving the conversation from “I Think,” which often leads to costly marketing mistakes and a waste of valuable time, to “I KNOW!”
Knowing how your customers perceive you and knowing their desires and pain points is the direct path to creating products and services that support your customers in a way that builds loyalty and RAVING FANS!
#1: Brand Purpose
Do you know why your brand or the brand you represent was created in the first place? What purpose does it serve and why? If you can answer these questions then move on to the next secret. If you can’t it’s time to do some digging and go back to the basics.
Ask yourself Why?
- Why do you do what you do?
- Why is it important to the people you serve?
- Why does the existence of your company matter?
If you answered “to make money” for the first question then go back and dig deeper. Ask what is the functional benefit to your customers / clients? What is the emotional benefit? And, Would my customers care if my company went away?
If you are still uncertain about your brand purpose here’s a suggestion –
ASK & LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS! Customers can tell you how you make a difference in their lives. Focus on your die-hard fans first and find out exactly what you mean to them. Then, look at customers you haven’t heard from or talked to in a while.
Having a brand purpose drives everything! With a brand purpose in place, you can look at an opportunity or challenge and ask yourself, “Is this the right thing to do given our purpose?”
#2: GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER
Creating raving fans and taking your business to the next level comes from having a true understanding of your customers.
The gap between how you think your customers experience and value your Brand and how they really perceive you is a dangerous place to be.
So how do you get to know your customer?
Follow the 5 Ps
- 1. Place yourself in your customer’s shoes.
A great quote from an anonymous author goes like this: “To learn to be a bullfighter, you must first learn how to be the bull.”
- Create a basic profile (include as much information as you can such as age, gender, occupation, lifestyle, marital status, children, pets, and attitudes about your product service and/or related topics).
- Describe and thoroughly embrace the process your customer goes through when in need of the type of service or product you provide.
- 4. Identify your customers’ problems and understand why they are problems. Remember, “your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning” Bill Gates, Microsoft
- 5. Use professionals to learn more about your customer or client. Think about your own customer or client. For example, if you are in the travel industry, speak to travel agents; if you are in the construction industry, speak to real estate agents. These professionals spend a lot of time with consumers and have insights you may not have considered.
#3: Delight Your Customers
- Regardless of the line of business you’re in or the nature of what you sell, your customers or clients are the only reason why you are in business. If they are happy they will come back and bring friends; if they are unhappy, expect to see a ‘bitchin’ story about your company or brand on Facebook and other social media.
- Monitor their experience with your Brand, perceptions, needs and attitudes on a regular basis so that you know what they want and importantly are always in a position to offer more to your customers then what they expect.
- This idea isn’t new – if you read The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, written in 1910, then you probably recognize this ‘secret’ as being one that has been followed by very successful companies over the years.
- When creating any communication or product enhancement or any element of the product mix, ask yourself these important questions:
- Am I offering more value? Did I go the extra mile?
- Would my customers thank me for this?
Bonus Extras:
Show Gratitude
Gratitude goes a long way in securing customer / brand relationships. And, it goes both ways – your happy customers show gratitude by rewarding you with more business and you can show them gratitude by having a real understanding and appreciation of their needs and wants.
Persistence, Persistence and Then More Persistence
Don’t give up on your customers, your employees, your product, your ENERGY.
Set goals for all aspects of your marketing plan (e.g., sales, # of new leads, level of customer satisfaction, all communication efforts, employee achievements, idea generating for product / service extensions, packaging, pricing, social media outreach, event topics, website design, etc.)
If results fall short of your goals or you and your employees start to THINK you have the answers – STOP and regroup. This is a temporary condition. Persist and remember to ASK your customer or client what matters to them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debbie Silverman brings 30+ years of experience equipping top executives and entrepreneurs to have powerful business conversations. Her clients include CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. She’s the award-winning, best-selling author of a strategic communication book and a book about protecting seniors and the elderly from scams. Debbie is also an NLP practitioner and human behavior specialist. She recently created a new course – Conversations for Success – Unlock the Secrets to Powerful Business Conversations. Learn more about how to engage your clients so they become raving fans, at Conversationsforsuccess.com.
