In our modern era of information
overload, consumers are only able to accept and absorb messages consistent with
prior knowledge or experience. 'Positioning' therefore helps break through the
message clutter by offering a simplified message consistent with what the consumer
already believes. This is achieved by focusing on the perceptions of the
consumer, rather than on the reality of the product. Identifying consumer’s
pain points is critical to effective positioning.
The consumer’s perceptions
are largely determined by existing pain points. Have you identified customer ‘pain-points’ for your products
and services? People spend money
on two things; to fight pain and to pursue pleasure. It’s likely that the worse
the pain or the problem, the more chance you have of selling a solution. The
better the solution you offer, the quicker the customer will pay. Generally
there is more staying power in ‘pain-solving businesses’ than there is in ‘pleasure
businesses’.
So, look for pain. Look
for things or situations that people find uncomfortable, annoying or
frustrating. Focus on a ‘cure’ and let this help you as a guide to develop a
business that will ‘make the pain go away’. You should also focus on trying to
assess when it is that people feel the pain most. It’s easier to sell a
solution to a current, severe pain than to solve something less intense.
Questions to ask when
testing whether or not your business is addressing a real customer pain:
- What pain does your company solve?
- Why should people care?
- Can you do this in a few words?
- Can you persuade people to purchase your product using an elevator pitch?
The
Importance of Identifying Customer Pain Points
To put it very simply,
pain points are ‘cries for help.’ Collecting
a list of pain points helps you understand what your prospects truly desire.
Referring to these same pain points in your promotion and advertising and in
your one-to-one meetings with customers and prospective customers help them
better relate to your offerings. It almost instantly builds rapport that leads
to a higher trust factor.
Winners don’t always have
the best product, the biggest name, or the deepest pocket, or even the most
loyal customers. Many times the winner does the best job in understanding and
meaningfully addressing customers’ pain points.
In sales and marketing
circles you will hear a lot of advice about finding a prospective customer’s ‘pain
point.’ A pain point is the when and the why, the reason customers
choose you – the point at which they realize you offer the solution to
their need – their “pain”.
The choice of the words “pain
point” is clearly intentional: only something that is severe enough to be
painful to your customer will cause them to act to relieve the pain. This
pain doesn’t necessarily have to be in a negative sense; the pain can
easily be that of the frustration of wanting a product or service to do even
more than it does right now.
If you’ve established
good communications with your customers, they’ll tell you their pain points.
Define
the ‘Pain-Point’
It’s important to define
the pain point that drives your business. Sometimes this can be obvious. A
car supplies transportation, solving the pain of getting from A to B. However some pain points
can be less obvious. Does anybody really need an extremely expensive car that
carries only two people and goes three times faster than the law allows? No,
but some people want that, and businesses that supply it do very well.
Take restaurants for
example, some solve the problem of getting food cheaply and fast. Others
provide a service for people to go out and celebrate an occasion with all the
trappings. Out of the two which would you most likely find at an airport or
train station? Not all restaurants have the same mission. Does the high-end
restaurant solve a problem as much as it fills a need and supplies a want? Check out how Papa John identified and
leveraged positioning
based on pain point.
There are four questions
you should seek to answer when identifying ‘pain-points’:
- What is the true source of pain?
- Who sees the most value in having that pain removed?
- Who will ultimately pay for a solution?
- Is there a substantive market that will benefit from your solution?
Define the pain point that
drives your business. What customer problem, need, or want does your business
address? This is a core concept you’ll need to establish within your
mission statement. Who is better off because your business exists, and why are
they better off?
Need some help defining your Pain Point's (or your competitors?) Give us a shout.
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