Most Entrepreneurs are passionate about their product or service. Some are passionate about solving a problem for a specific group of target customers. Those who are most successful start with the audience and then worry about the offer. Too many start with the offer and then only start worrying about the audience when they are starting to run out of time or money.

Who

Start any marketing or sales campaign with a definition of the target audience. Make sure you understand precisely who they are, what motivates them, what they worry about and where they find the money to buy products or services like yours. Be absolutely specific about how they measure success and what time frame is used in their buying process. Are you providing instant gratification, or is a slower return on investment acceptable?

Why

• What is the problem that you are solving?

• How is the “pain” that your target audience is feeling in their lives or businesses expressed?

• What terminology do they use?

• Is there a financial element?

What

What is it in your offer that solves their problem – and how does it provide a solution that works for them and their lives or business?

Differentiate

The last and most important element. Your target audience will often have many possible solutions to their “pain” – if the problem is “Need transport every day” and you are selling one brand of cars, then you have to compete against all the other people selling cars. And you have to compete against buses and trains.

Make sure that your audience understands precisely:

• How your offer solves their problem.

• How your differentiators make you a better value or more satisfying solution to the problem than the potential alternatives.

  • How does your offer deal with their pragmatic, analytical, stated requirements?

  • How do you meet their financial / budget needs?

  • What about the emotional factors in their buying process?

This was a guest post by Paul Fileman of SPS who are a national team of proven senior management professionals, passionate about working to help businesses achieve their next level of development and performance. Whether they are facing market changes, financial problems, people/skills issues, or are preparing a major project, they offer dedicated support from a multi-disciplined team of experts.

Free updates:
If you enjoyed this post and would like to be kept updated on future posts, then please click here to get updates by Email. Alternately you can follow the updates the Business Opportunities And Ideas Facebook page or follow me on Twitter.