How to communicate with customers when everyone is lying to you

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A post on how to correctly figure out the real needs of your customers and shoot your startup right on target.

Imagine you are playing darts. You have a number of darts and you need to hit the target. It seems like a pretty easy task. But you have a blindfold before your eyes, and you have just been taken around the room for half a minute and twisted in different directions several times. You don't even know which side the target is. What are you going to do? Throw at random? Or…?

Blindfolded business

This situation is very similar to the situation in which you start your business. You enter the market blindfolded. The dart is your product. The target is the need of your customers.

90% of entrepreneurs start throwing their dart products in all directions. They convinced themselves that they knew where the target was. They have invented a target for themselves, and are doing everything to hit it. Here are just a small supply of darts. Didn't hit once, didn't hit another, the darts ended. The energy, money, desire ran out, and the next startup with zero audience goes into oblivion.

When you enter the market or seek to solve a problem, you need to find out the real needs of your customers. Your vision can be very different from what your customers really need. And instead of going to the market and talking to customers, you are building a virtual sand castle.

You should still say a few words in your defense - if you don't know how to ask the right questions, your clients will lie to you! The sand will become quite realistic, but the essence will not change. To understand this, let's use the following technique.

Mom's test

Mom will always support you in any endeavors, even if she does not understand what and why you are offering her. And it is she, in most cases, who is inclined to lie even more than all your clients. After all, mom loves you, is proud and does not want to offend you. Here's what a typical startup conversation looks like with his mom:

You: Mom, I have a business idea. Do you have 5 minutes to listen to her?

She: Of course, dear.

What she thinks: (I'm proud of you and don't want to hurt your feelings)

You: You love your iPad and you seem to use it a lot?

She: Yes, that's a great thing.

What she thinks: (I use it to check emails while lying on the couch)

You: Would you buy a cookbook app?

She: I love cookbooks, sounds good. Will it include vegetarian recipes? Or any recipes for Christmas?

What she thinks: (So, I already have a paper cookbook. I don't need a computer in my kitchen - what if it gets dirty. But if my child makes an app, I will definitely try it. App? I never bought an app! This is do you need to enter your credit card information? I'll try to change the topic of conversation …)

When you hear this “I love cookbooks, that sounds good” phrase like this from your client, you think you've gotten confirmation of your idea. In fact, you are simply asking the wrong questions.

What is the right way to ask potential customers questions?

1. Never ask their opinion, especially about your idea

You don’t need an opinion, you don’t need their compliments, you don’t need confirmation of your genius. Your ego needs it. It will be easier for people to tell you the truth when they are not afraid of hurting you or how you will react to their assessment. So temporarily move your ego and approval-hungry genius into the back pocket of your trousers, now you need concrete facts.

People are trying to be nice to you. Therefore, they will lie to your face, without attaching great importance to it.

2. Ask them about life

How do you live? What are your problems? How do you solve them? When do they remain unresolved? What would be the ideal solution to your problem? People love to talk about themselves and their problems, and you will hear real stories and difficulties that your clients have faced in life.

3. Ask them about something specific that happened in the past

Ask questions to which you are afraid to hear the answers. Deep down, you fear that your idea might be downright weak. Therefore, you ask the wrong questions, and then run to implement your plan, until no one dissuaded you.

What should be the communication with the client?

If possible, make this communication informal. The problem is that you perceive the meeting with a client as an important social survey or as an opportunity, and not as a conversation. Ideally, you want to meet with your prospect in an informal setting and ask him the 3 main questions that interest you. Remember, first you ask your customers questions, then you sell them. What they really need, not what you came up with for them.

Listen more, speak less

Listen most of the time and ask questions. Your client will tell you everything anyway. Do not try to put pressure on the client in your communication and convince him of something.

The biggest mistake is that you go outside to ask for an opinion about your product, and you start pitching a person instead of figuring out what does not suit him and what he needs.

And you persuade and persuade the person until they say something like, "yes, that's a great idea, let me know when you start." Having tortured a dozen people with your brilliant idea, you run to create a product, and as a result - 0 sales.

If the consumer in the process of communication comes up with ideas

It happens that in the course of a conversation, you still start talking about your product and solution. The client likes everything, and he suggests adding some other option or feature.

IMPORTANT: You shouldn't tell customers what their problem is, and they shouldn't tell you what you should create. Instead, ask your client: Why do you want this? What will this allow you to do? How will you cope without it? Do you think we should delay launch to add this option or can we add it later?

You shouldn't talk with a client about his ideas without specifics. And never say something like, “What a great idea. We will definitely implement it, and you will definitely buy from us. Deal?"

In communication, strive to ensure that the client makes a commitment or expresses his commitment

Remember, there are only 2 possible outcomes of a meeting:

1. The meeting failed. You have learned a lot and saved money.
2. The meeting was a success. You got the information you needed and outlined the client's problem.

If your meeting "went well," it failed. If the client says, “Cool, I like it.

Let me know when to start. I would definitely buy it”- do not make bright plans. This means nothing. The client fed you with ideas and promises, said compliments, but your further cooperation is still undecided.

Would he like to buy in the future? Offer to pre-order now. And look at his reaction. Perhaps he lied to you.

Therefore, in any conversation with a client, ask him for a small commitment. The client shows that your activity is important to him and gives something of value - time, reputation or money. Also ask him about his willingness to take the next step. The meeting will also be successful if the client moves further in your conversion scenario and gets closer to the deal.

How can a client express their commitment

1. Permission to contact the person again
2. A clear agreement about the next meeting
3. Presentation to the decision-maker
4. Consent to use the trial version
5. Pre-purchase

What if I don't meet with the client, but call? Can he answer 3 questions over the phone?

If you are lazy, afraid of people, have never talked to unfamiliar uncles and have not left the house for the last 12 years - call. Be prepared for the following:

• Communication will be formal
• Are you missing out on body language
• You will not become friends, but continue to call the cold

But you may still get the information you need!

The main purpose of such cold contacts is to stop dealing with them as quickly as possible after finding out the necessary information.

Who are your clients?

Segment the market and start small. All large companies started with a small group of customers and gradually expanded to large groups of users.

Taking several audiences, it turns out that customers want different things, and you will strive to satisfy everyone with one product.

If you work for everyone, you don't work well for anyone, so choose a specific segment of customers with a clear problem. You will scale when you learn to communicate with customers and identify their problems.

How to segment your audience?

Your problem isn't that you don't know where to find your customers. Your problem is that you focus on working with everyone.

• What is your customer's problem or goal?
• Does this concern all or only some of the customers?
• Within the target group, which people want it the most?
• Will everyone want to buy, use your product, or just a few?
• What are these people already doing to achieve their goal or solve a problem?
• Who influences their opinion in solving this problem? (opinion leaders, experts, publications)
• What is the ideal solution to the problem for them?
• What price are they willing to pay to solve the problem?
• What is the main decision factor?
• Where can you find people who behave the same way?

This way, you will highlight several segments of your audience. Select the segment to be:

1. The most profitable (for example, people with high incomes)
2. Easily accessible (there are specialized communities, resources, media where you can advertise and interact with customers)
3. Allows you to create a business based on it (there are enough potential customers to provide you with orders)

We find clients for contact

Immerse yourself in the environment where your target customers live. Create subscription pages, organize meetings and public appearances, create a blog, and publish useful content on the topic. Take a look around, most likely, in your environment there are already those people who interest you. Come up with a good excuse - I'm writing a study or an article - and ask the questions that interest you.

Meet influencers in the industry and ask to be introduced or recommended. You can reach out to anyone if you are persistent enough.

Use your data

Prepare for meetings with your team:

• Select 3-5 most important questions at the moment (if you can get the answer in Google, google and take another question)
• Read the social media profiles of your future interlocutor
• Write your assumptions about the person to confirm or deny when you meet
• Decide what you want to ask the person for. What action or commitment to induce.

What to look for in communication?

Take note of the other person's emotions. Problems, goals, work on current projects, circumstances, ideas, requests, budget / buying process, follow-up tasks, companies or people referred to. Try to take notes as you communicate.

After chatting, review your notes. Draw conclusions, refine or update your questions. How can you get the best results by communicating with other clients?

How many meetings should you hold?

If you know your audience, the problem is simple, and the selected segment is small - hold 3-5 meetings with potential clients. If the market is large enough, the problem has yet to be identified and the target audience needs to be dealt with - start with 10 meetings and keep holding new ones until you find answers to all your questions.

GENERALIZATION

Preparation:

• Customer segmentation
• What do we want to learn or what to learn? - this information should reach your team, and not remain in the bowels of your consciousness.

Actions:

• Stick to everyday communication
• Ask specific pertinent questions, ask about specific experiences of your customers.
• Avoid vague information - compliments, generalizations, hypotheses.

Material handling:

• Facts
• The client's commitment that he expresses (money, reputation, time, willingness to act)
• New contacts for communication

CONCLUSION

You are standing right in front of your target. Your hand is at the required level for the throw, you know the exact distance to the target, your dart is aimed at the target. You asked the right questions to the people who support you. You are still blindfolded, but you know where to shoot. You just have to give others what they want - to hit the target blindfolded. Good luck!