Today we’re talking all about how to know what your customers want.
When it comes to determining what our customers really want, we have the temptation to return to our middle school days of fortune telling. Stay with me here. Do you remember the origami cootie catchers that told us where we would live and who we would marry? Did you ever pick the pedals off flowers, “He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me!” Raise your hand if you’ve ever asked a Magic 8-Ball a question.
Y’all, we love to predict the future. We all want to know how things will turn out, and if we’re honest, we’d all love to read our customer’s minds.
Related: Communicating Clearly with Your Customers
Wouldn’t it be incredible to figure out exactly what our customers want? To determine exactly what they need? To know the words they use, so we can use those words and reach them directly?
We can.
We can know those things—what they think, how they feel, and what they need.
We can learn all that and a whole lot more. And here’s the good news: You don’t need a Magic 8-Ball to tell you.
How do you find out?
You just ask.
The simplest things are the things that are most often overlooked. Instead of doing the most logical and effective thing, we tend to just guess what our customers want. We overlook asking them what they feel, want, need, think.
We can demystify the whole thing by simply asking our customers directly.
We’re all great at asking questions, but many of us have just never thought to apply it to our business.
There’s a fancy term for asking your customers what they want: Market Research.
Related: The Two Things You Need to Know About People
There are two methods of research you can use to ask your customers what they want: quantitative research and qualitative research.
Both methods are going to help you understand your market, learn, and grow. By asking your customers the right questions, you can gain a better understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and needs surrounding your product.
A helpful hint to understand the difference between quantitative research and qualitative research is to remember the root of the word. Quantitative research is all about quantity.
Qualitative research is all about quality.
In quantitative research, you ask questions that can be quantified and produce a metric for you to measure.
You might do this through yes or no questions, multiple choice, ratings, or another method.
Quantitative research is helpful in your business to not only understand your market, but to supplement your marketing, branding and promotions.
Have you seen those commercials that say 9 out of 10 dentists recommend this toothpaste? They did a quantitative market research study to find that number.
Qualitative research can’t be quantified. This type of research takes exponentially more time to sort through results, analyze and identify themes. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid it!
Qualitative research provides open-ended, non-leading questions that will allow your customers to provide answers in their own words. That’s the reason it’s so valuable! You really can understand your customer, their motivation, their mindset, and their language.
Qualitative research can also be used in marketing in the form of marketing copy, testimonials, endorsements, and quotes. Lots of the words that we use in Business Boutique are things you’ve told us. We love to hear what sticks out to you so that we can improve, grow and get better.
I love market research! It is such a simple and direct way to get feedback from your customers.
Related: Ep 20: How to Create Engaging Content for Your Business
In this episode I’ll talk about:
It doesn’t matter how you get the information; it matters that you get the information. If you don’t know what your customers want, you can’t give it to them.
It’s not a mystery—all you have to do is ask.
Jessica Principe has become a dear friend over the last few years since we met at our Business Boutique Event in Nashville. She is the founder of the popular women’s shaving subscription club All Girls Shave Club, a wife, and the mother of two boys.
The idea for Jessica’s business came to her in the shower. She reached for her husband’s razor from his subscription service and thought, Why isn’t there something like this for women? She realized if that service was something she would use, other women probably would too. And just like that, she threw herself into market research, came to the Business Boutique Event, created her plan, and launched her business.
She has taken the chore of shaving and turned it into something where women can feel like they are pampering themselves. Knowing what her customers want—and delivering just that—has helped Jessica continue to grow and create a lucrative business.
Jessica has shared her story multiple times on the Business Boutique event stage to let other women know they can do it too! You can turn your ideas into income and create the life you always dreamed of.
In this episode, Jessica Principe and I talk about:
Related: How Jessica Turned Her Problem Into $70K!
The seasonality of our lives, our family and our business is important. Summer is winding down, and life is about to ramp up for many of us as we approach fall and all that comes with it.
Before it’s time to be all in and game on, I have a little encouragement for you: Don’t let the change of seasons surprise you. You can spend the next couple weeks enjoying your summer, but also setting yourself up for success. The time to do it is not in September when you’re in the thick of it—the time is NOW.
Here are a few ways to prepare yourself for the potentially crazy season ahead:
I know it’s hard to do. But you have a beautiful window of time, and if you use it wisely, you can arrive at the next season set up to win without all the stress.
Lastly, don’t forget that I love hearing from you! Give me a call on my new toll-free line at 844.944.1074. You just might hear your question on a future episode!
1:25 How to Know What Your Customers Want
15:37 Interview with Jessica Principie
37:54 Encouragement for the Fall Season
43:05 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT
Get Christy's Persona Template by filling out the form here!
To save $10 on any Business Boutique Nashville ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT.
Sign up for the Business Idea Bootcamp at BusinessBoutique.com/Bootcamp. Use the code BOOTCAMP to receive the Business Boutique audiobook for free!
If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com.
New podcast episodes are available every other week.
I recently read that over 50 million businesses use Facebook Pages to connect with their customers.(1)
50 million?!
These business are tapping into something powerful. They understand the value of connecting with their customers directly and using social media followers to build and expand their brand. In essence, they understand the importance of a building a tribe—a group of people who love you, are loyal to your brand, and who trust you.
Your tribe is made up of the people who buy your product when you launch a pre-sale. They are the first people to mention your name (or better yet, give someone your business card) to refer your service. Your tribe is bought into your business because they’re bought into you and what you stand for.
One of the best ways to build a tribe is to provide a place for them to connect and engage with you and your brand. Social media provides you with the space to build a relationship with your customers, make a personal impact, and ultimately make money.
This isn’t strictly a numbers game. My friend Rachel Hollis once said, “5,000 dedicated social media followers are way better than having millions and millions.” It doesn’t matter how many social media followers you have—if they don’t trust you, they aren’t going to buy from you.
People buy from those they know, like and trust. So, it’s pretty important to build trust with your tribe of social media followers.
Related : How to Sell Without Feeling Slimy
But how do we get people to trust our brand or business?
One of my favorite examples of a brand that has built trust is our company, Ramsey Solutions.
Dave Ramsey grew this business and brand over decades through personal connection. About six years ago, he realized he needed to start thinking about the future and the succession of his company. From the very beginning, it had been just him. But he realized that if he wanted to take it to the next level and scale beyond himself, he needed to make a few changes. He knew that the best brands build trust. And the best way to build trust is through people.
Brands don’t change people, people change people. He realized we needed more people who could take more messages into more markets. That’s how the Ramsey Personalities were born!
For more than 25 years, Dave Ramsey has been building trust with his tribe—one person at a time.
The same can be true for you and me. If you want to make an impact, and if you want to make money, you need to build trust.
I personally feel so connected to all of my social media followers. We may have never met, but I pride myself on the fact that I know you trust me. I have read so many comments on my social media posts and met so many people in grocery stores, airports, and book signings who say, “I feel like we’re best friends.”
Y’all, that’s important to me.
I want you to feel like you know me. That you relate with me. That I get you. (Because I do!) Business Boutique has grown as I’ve expanded the number of people in our tribe who genuinely know, like and trust me.
In this episode, I want to help you connect and engage with your social media followers in a way that builds trust.
We’re going to discuss:
Building trust with your social media followers is no different than building trust with any other person in your life. That’s why I’m going to give you five tips to help you build trust that will impact your social media followers and, ultimately, your bottom line!
Jennifer Allwood is a powerhouse business coach for creative business owners and host of The Jennifer Allwood Show Podcast.
She has an infectious enthusiasm for helping like-minded creative women build their social media followers and turn their talents and hobbies into lucrative online businesses.
Jennifer has built an incredible social media following and has a gift for creating relationships and showing up for each and every one of them.
I met Jennifer Allwood at a Business Boutique event and am thrilled that she will be a breakout speaker at our fall 3-Day Business Boutique Event!
In this episode, Jennifer Allwood and I talk about:
Related: Business Values: What Your Business Should Be About
Cathy Heller is a songwriter and host of the Don’t Keep Your Day Job Podcast where she offers tools and insights to help people find a sense of purpose and make a living doing what they love.
She made her mark in the music world by licensing her songs to film, TV and ads. Cathy also started her own licensing company where she pitches other artists.
By mixing her successful licensing career experience with her passion for helping people turn their passions into profits, Cathy created a music licensing course for artists.
In this episode, Cathy Heller and I talk about:
Related: How to Make the Most of Social Media
1:35 Building Trust with Your Tribe on Social Media
22:15 Interview with Jennifer Allwood
47:39 #ASKCHRISTYWRIGHT
54:22 Interview with Cathy Heller
71:29 Homework
Get Christy's Social Media Cheat Sheet by filling out the form here!
To save $10 on any Business Boutique Nashville ticket, use the code BBWRIGHT.
Sign up for the Business Idea Bootcamp at BusinessBoutique.com/Bootcamp. Use the code BOOTCAMP to receive the Business Boutique audiobook for free!
If you have a success story you would like to share with the Business Boutique community, email me at podcast@businessboutique.com.
New podcast episodes are available every other week.