7 Ways to Discover Your Customer’s’ Pain Points

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As a business, it is essential that customer pain points are known, so they can be addressed, or in economic terms, supplied. But, if your customers have pain points and you are unaware of them, addressing them becomes impossible and they will seek supplies from a more responsive business. So, how do we discover our customer’s’ pain points?.

Understand

First, it is critical to understand what your products address. You are not merely supplying a product or service, you are solving a problem, addressing an issue or relieving a condition. You must understand what those problems, issues and conditions are, not to change your product or service necessarily, but to effectively create the message that your product or service solves their issues. In a nutshell, it relieves their pain.

Communicate

Secondly, it is critical to speak the language of your consumers. This might seem crazy, because your customers will speak the language of your culture, right? It’s not the prevailing language of the business, like English or German or Japanese, but the language of the target audience.

This is more sophisticated and nuanced. If you are selling boutique perfumes, the words you choose would certainly be different than if you are selling cowboy boots. Both approaches should address the pain of the potential consumer, but use the vernacular of these potentially different subcultures. We have very different relationships with terms and symbols. So, if you tell a potential customer who is looking to fit in that your product is “chic”, that won’t address their pain point. It’s a term of exclusivity, even if it creates demand among certain consumers.

Empathy

A third key is expressing empathy. People gravitate towards those who share their pain: Misery loves company. And if you not only solve their pain but empathize with it, you attract not only consumers but establish your product is part of the same tribe. People are more confident that their tribe will better address their pain due to implicit trust.

Professional Guidance

Fourth, don’t be afraid to seek help in uncovering your particular niche’s pain points and how to address them. There are quality companies like Square Ship, whose expertise can alleviate the heavy lifting of creating an effective marketing campaign. Often people are reluctant to seek out professional help, thinking that the cost is too high, but ignoring the hidden cost of lost revenue. Effective marketing can increase your customer base, which can extend beyond the marketing campaign and give you insight into your target consumers.

Engage

Fifth, engage your customers. Surveys and comment cards can be an effective way to gain insight into your customers, but don’t be afraid to simply engage with them on a social level. Find out what their concerns are. Who are they and what makes them tick. When you do this, you not only create an understanding of why consumers need your products but how they understand your product as a solution to their needs. This is ultimately the bridge that must be crossed in order to create conversion.

Social Media

Sixth, use social media to discover what your customers and your competitors’ customers are saying. Social media is often an unfiltered view of the way that people think and feel. This can allow you to truly witness customer reactions to your products and like products. By doing this, you can improve your products and the messaging around your products to address the concerns you witness through social media.

Search

Seventh, learn what your customers are searching for. There are methods to learn what people are Googling or searching for through search engines. Use these methods to uncover what people desire or what they are trying to discover. This can illuminate the need for a new product or it can be a way to learn to market your product to these demands. If you learn what they want, you can fulfil that desire.

Putting it Into Action

Ultimately, you must learn to identify, not only what your customer wants, but who they are. When you do that, you can not only supply what they need but effectively communicate that you have it.  Communication is the most important aspect of discovering your ideal customers and their pain points.  Whether you’re using a digital marketing agency to reach your goals or taking the self-taught route, you’ll quickly learn that the success of any marketing or sales efforts boils down to your ability to communicate.

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About the Author

Victoria Howes is a entrepreneur, traveler, and consultant to multiple brands including Travelocity, Hotels.com, and Homeaway.