One of the most important things you can know is
WHY customers choose your product/service over others.
Even if you 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 you know, try this exercise:
1️⃣ Ask your team to create a list of what they consider your company’s competitive advantage(s). These represent why your customers choose your product or company over other alternatives.
2️⃣ Reach out to a group of your most valuable customers (MVCs) and ask if they would be open to a brief conversation to help with a research question. Offer an incentive to boost participation, if necessary.
3️⃣ Ask your MVCs questions to reveal why they choose your product/service. Record the conversations (with permission) and/or have a dedicated note-taker.
Here are some questions to get the conversation started:
Q: How does our product/service fit into your life or the work you do?
Q: When you first bought our product/service, how did you hope it would make your job or life better or easier?
Q: What prompted you to begin looking for a new solution?
Q: What other solutions did you research or consider before choosing our product/service?
Q: What product/service were you using before ours?
Q: What makes our product/service better than other options you’ve tried?
Q: If our product/service was no longer available, which of our competitors would you turn to, and why?
Q: If you had one minute to convince a friend to switch to us, what would you say?
𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝗽: Try to keep the tone and pace casual. Listen carefully and ask follow-up questions to encourage a deeper explanation. Try: That’s interesting, please tell me more, or You sound excited about that; why was that so important to you?
4️⃣ Review the customer responses and create a second list.
5️⃣ Compare your team’s list to the customer list. Circle reasons that show up on both lists, and reasons that are unique to your customer list.
You now have a more accurate and complete list of WHY your best customers choose you over your competition.
Now, use what you've learned to sharpen your marketing. 🎯
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Need help kicking off your customer research efforts? Reach out, and I’ll get you moving in the right direction.
