One of the most frequent questions I hear from small business owners, particularly those just starting out, is, How and where do I find my customers? We start the discussion by analyzing the customer in question: Who is she? What are her pains and frustrations? What does she need – what is she looking for? Where does she get her information? How does she make her purchasing decisions? And so on, the idea being that the answer to the big question will take shape in the process of answering auxiliary ones.
While this works, there is a better, simpler, more efficient way: instead of going out into the marketplace to seek customers, enable them to find you. Yes, do identify the pain point, the frustration, the need – you can’t have a business without knowing all that. Define the need in terms of a problem the customer is trying to solve, a challenge facing her, a situation she needs to address. Then, offer her an opportunity to learn how to fix it herself.
Let’s say you’re a retailer of outdoor and travel gear. You can offer classes on how to pack for an overnight wilderness trip or have self-directed online tutorials on selecting the right shoe for trail running. The gear you sell will become a natural toolkit fit for dealing with the big outdoors. REI does a superb job of this (full disclosure: I’m a member).
Or you sell home improvement supplies and building materials. You can offer free webinars on how to paint interiors or workshops on how to build a fence. Then the products you sell will become mere indispensable tools for completing the project. The ReBuilding Center excels at providing such classes.
Maybe you’re a business coach. Why not throw a class on writing a business plan or a roundtable on how to maximize company community involvement through public relations? Such trainings offer a preview of what you know and what you can do for your clients.
Educational events – workshops, trainings, seminars, classes – help your potential customer to self-select herself and come to you for the solution to her problem. After all, if she’s attending your class, she has a problem your class is addressing. Solve that problem with “how to” and you’re likely to be the answer to “with what” as well.
It all comes down to context. A product in itself is just that, a thing. Place that item into the framework of your customer’s life and teach your customer how it can be useful or how to use it, and the product becomes the answer to her concerns.
Education empowers. Use education to empower your customers.
How have you used educational events to empower and attract your customers? Any examples you’ve seen your competitors or colleagues do?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
An excellent piece of writing, Peter.
Great advice, too.
Ever since I met you, I’ve heard many variations on this theme. Finally, it’s beginning to sink in! I greatly appreciate the patient repetition (varied with other tasty, complementary ideas) and look forward to initiating my own teaching efforts soon.
Keep up the good work.
Very good article. My former consulting work was based on giving information, becoming a resource, and then when a project came up I was not only the first person they called, but the only.
@Mike Russell: Thanks, Mike. Glad to be of service. Time to get back in front of the blackboard!
@Therapeutic Ramblings: I should have mentioned in the post that the educational events need to be free. Give away basic information and expertise for free as a preview and to position yourself as the source of premium content.