Customer discovery
Customer discovery is finding out just what your prospects will buy, why, and what will cause them to buy it. It is a key part of business development, and a first step both to generating new revenue and to uncovering new ways to compete.
Your product or service is just part of the picture, from your customer's point of view. To sell more, learn more about their business environment, competitive pressures, and issues particular to their business and their industry. It is not hard, but it does take some time and effort, and can pay off well when done systematically.
Here is how to start:
This is a good way to find new needs for what you do, unexpected motivations to buy, and to create new customer benefits.
Your product or service is just part of the picture, from your customer's point of view. To sell more, learn more about their business environment, competitive pressures, and issues particular to their business and their industry. It is not hard, but it does take some time and effort, and can pay off well when done systematically.
Here is how to start:
- Spend some time with your customers at their businesses to see what they actually do with what you supply, under what circumstances, and with what difficulties. No selling takes place during this customer discovery step - just questions, answers and observations.
- Explore your prospects’ industry conferences and trade shows, talk with their competitors, and visit your prospects' customers, to understand their business environment and competitive pressures. Your goal is to find out what their biggest problems and opportunities really are - especially the hidden ones. If you can help them with even one of those well, you can become their preferred supplier...
This is a good way to find new needs for what you do, unexpected motivations to buy, and to create new customer benefits.
