They need to eat, to have shelter and some clothes. But they also need to feel a sense of achievement, recognition and satisfaction in their lives.
If you think that you’re providing a vital life service, please think again. What you’re really doing is solving a customer’s problem
• to be entertained,
• to be with friends and family,
• to enjoy a night out,
• to feel a sense of achievement
• to be in an environment where they feel comfortable, safe and happy
• to know that the experience they will receive is a good value
• to just have fun
So instead of thinking about the latest and greatest magic bullet promotion, here are two suggestions to get you to think about the customer first!
#1 Think Like a Marketer — which gives you a monster advantage as a business owner. Be open to new ideas, but don’t fall in love with them — until you see how they can serve the needs of your audience and expand out into a wider market. That will let you start planning a new product, project, or promotion with the right question”
“What audience problem is this going to solve? How will this delight the audience I’ve pulled together?”
This customer-first thinking is the cornerstone for most successful business, and it’s an antidote to what I call “Inventor’s Syndrome” — grinding away to push an interesting technical idea that buyers just don’t share your enthusiasm for.
#2: Focus On What You’re Excellent At
Most founders, particularly in the early days, think of themselves as “chief cook and bottle washer.” In other words, they try to fill every single role in the company.
No doubt, you have been aware of your weak spots, (we all have them) and this awareness will allow you, on the other hand, to leverage her strengths.
As one proprietor said,
“Something that I’m especially bad at is all this internet and digital stuff”
But rather than allowing that to create an expensive blind spot that “digital marketing” doesn’t really work for me” it can lead you to value people on your staff that have that experience even more…or to hire someone who does.
A key aspect of entrepreneurial creativity is figuring out how you’re going to work with the gaps of your own weaknesses — whether that’s by hiring someone, partnering, or some other creative solution.
The point is, “think like a marketer. Think about what the customer really wants, not what you want!
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