digital marketing

Entrepreneur Turned Mind Reader Makes Millions!

The more you understand what’s on your customers’ minds, the more that your marketing messages will resonate and the more sales you will be able to generate.

Okay, well maybe that title is a bit of an exaggeration. But if you want to grow a successful business you really do have to be a bit of a mind reader. Because the best way to get people to buy what you’re selling is to communicate with them in a way that makes them feel you understand what’s foremost on their minds. Then give them what they want—not just what you think they need.    

So, if you want to create services, offers, products and marketing messages that make your ideal clients sit up and take notice, first you have to know what they want.   

That means you’ve got to find out what’s important to them. What keeps them up at night. And what their problems, goals and dreams are. Then speak to them in the context of what they care about most.

If you talk to them like you know and understand them, and share how you can help them solve their problems, achieve their goals or reach their dreams, chances are they’re gonna want to learn more. If you’ve also got the right solutions at the right price, they’re gonna want what you’ve got.

Sounds logical, right?

So how do you get a peek deep into the inner workings of your ideal client’s mind and figure all this out?

Well, if it just so happens that YOU are your ideal client, you already have an intimate knowledge of what they’re likely to be thinking and worrying about. So just take a step back and consider what’s most important to you. What problems do you have that your products or services can solve?

Of course, not every entrepreneur is so lucky. In case you aren’t representative of your ideal client, here are three simple, highly effective mind-reading tricks that won’t cost you a penny to use:

1) Surveys

If you’re already working with your ideal clients or customers, conduct a simple survey in person, by mail or via email. Ask a question or two like:

“What is your No. 1 question or struggle when it comes to ____________?”

“If you could have just one question about ______________ answered, what would it be?”

If you do this via email, here are two more suggestions…

Use an online service like SurveyMonkey.com to ask the questions and tally the results. And, offer something useful in exchange for them taking time to respond.

Everyone’s short on time these days. A gift shows you respect theirs. Plus, you’ll get more responses if there’s something in it for them—especially if you ask them to answer more than one or two questions. A downloadable audio, white paper, free report, tips list or anything else of value works perfectly for this.

2) Online Forums

Use online forums to ask questions and gain insights.

If you’ve never been on a forum, you’re missing out on a hugely valuable information-gathering tool. Forums are basically Web pages where people can post questions and leave responses or comments.

These days there are forums dedicated to almost every topic under the sun. Here at StartupNation, just click over to the Small Business and Entrepreneur Forums, where you can currently find 38 different topic forums. Loads of social networking sites, including LinkedIn.com and Biznik.com, have Q & A forums too. To find additional forums, just Google “forums+your topic”.

Once you find forums where your ideal clients participate, start by just reading posted questions and comments. If you’re comfy with the format and type of content, start posting questions of your own.

3) Questions

Ask the questions in #1 during your consultations, on questionnaires, and in follow-up materials or evaluations. This makes it super-easy for both you and your customers.

Regardless of what method you use, be sure to note responses in an Excel spreadsheet. That way you can keep a running list of what’s on your prospect’s and client’s minds.

Anytime you’re putting together a new product, service or promotion be sure to reference this info. Then use it to create exactly what your ideal clients most want, and to write marketing materials that speak to their biggest concerns and show how you can help. Do that, and you’re sure to get them to take notice…And ideally take action by hiring or buying from you.

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