I came across a Facebook post today written by Roger James Hamilton from Hong Kong, now living in New York, who is the founder of the Entrepreneurs Institute. I agreed with his post so wanted to share his advice with you.
His advice is to focus more on our customers than we do on our products. He says “Your business doesn't start when you have a product. It starts when you have a customer.” Which I totally agree with. Customer research and understanding is key to developing a successful product that satisfies a need or want or solves a problem, plus delivers on its promise.
He suggests that we should be focusing on our customers' experience and to change our products to serve our customers. He warns that if we only focus on our products, “your customers will find a path that fits them, with or without you.”
Photo courtesy of Roger Hamilton
Roger asked in the post if we know who our perfect customer is?
Do we know what problems they are experiencing that need to be solved? What benefit are we delivering that helps our customers solve their problem(s)? Will our products solve that problem better than other products and lastly why should customers trust us rather than others?
These questions’s are summarized as Problem, Promise, Products and Proof.
Roger suggests we need to keep upgrading our answers (and our products) regularly because customers needs change. He suggests that once you get to know your customers “you'll begin to know what they need before them, and they'll begin pre-buying your next product.”
"Get closer than ever to your customer. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves." ~ Steve Jobs
He concludes that “The easiest way to future proof your business is to have customers that love you. The easiest way to fail is to love your idea or product more than you love your customers.”
So have you thought about the Problem, your Promise, your Products and the Proof? How often do you think about your customers rather than your products? Put yourselves in your customers’ shoes and ask, what do they want from you, what do they want to know, what do they want to buy and how do they want to be helped? What are you delivering that suits or helps them? How can you make things easier for them?
Have a go, take a different view on your business and see if you need to make some slight changes to be more customer focused.
I hope Roger’s advice has helpful? Please feel free to tweet me your thoughts @lisafromklarity
Lisa from Klarity x