Why would people buy from YOU?
So you have this amazing idea for a product or service you want to launch into the world.
You have defined what your gift is and you are absolutely certain that people will want to buy from you. But will they?
This is where the fear starts to creep in for most entrepreneurs.
What if no one wants what I am selling?
What if people think I am an idiot?
What will my peers, family and friends think of me?
How do I make my product or service different to my competitors?
What if I FAIL!!!!!!!
There are a few very important steps you need to take before you go and get your branding done, before you set up your social media profiles and before you tell the world what you are doing.There are the three things you need to do to ensure your market will buy from you:
Test the market to see if your business idea is viable.
Have you asked around your network to see what people think of your idea?
- Be sure not to just ask people who will tell you what they think you want to hear.
- Try to seek out people who will give you the honest truth and will be fairly direct with feedback.
- Ask people who have a similar business model and ask them their thoughts because they have been-there-done-that and may be able to give you some pointers on how you could do it differently.
- Make sure you have a rough idea of your financial costs, will you be making enough money?
Survey your market. Get a little deeper.
If you get to this point then you must still believe there is a market for what you have to offer the world.
Create a list of people who you could send a survey to, to see what they think about your idea. Construct a list of questions that could include:
- What their goals are (Are they in alignment with what you have to offer?)
- What their challenges and pain points are (Will your product or service solve these for them?)
- What their demographics are - age, sex, marital status, area they live in, what books they read, magazines or blogs they subscribe to, what podcasts they listen to, whether or not they have kids, and any other questions that would help you to get to know your prospective audience better. (Are they your ideal target market?)
- Pose a question that would present what you are looking to offer and see if they would use your product or service.
- Question them about your pricing options and see what they think.
- Be bold and ask them if they would buy your product or service, if they answer YES then that’s awesome, but if they answer no - ask them why not and really listen to the feedback.
- If they answer YES then ask them for their email address so they can be the first to hear about your offer when you launch it. This is a great way to start to build your email list.
Create a focus group.
Once you have surveyed your network, select a more focused group of people and get them together to discuss your idea and gather more feedback. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself you can employ a facilitator to run it for you. Make sure you observe the group to gain valuable insights and feedback. You may get enough insights from one focus group, however if you are still unhappy with your model or your product or service, then rejig it and run another group until you are 100% certain that people will buy your product.
People will buy from you if you have given them a compelling reason to:
If you are solving a problem for someone, and you will be making their life easier they will buy from you. If people trust you they will buy from you. If your product or service offers something that their current provider isn’t offering they will buy from you. If you are getting in touch with them at the exact right time that they need you, they will buy from you.
And finally if your brand is authentic and genuine and you have a list of followers that absolutely love you, they will buy from you.
Remember you need to date your customers for a while, you need to get to know each other and see if you are a good fit for each other. You can’t propose marriage on your first interaction or they will run away screaming and you will never hear from them again!
If you provide amazing valuable hints and tips and information, and start to build a wonderful relationship with them, they will buy from you (eventually).
So take the plunge… Define what your gift is, test your market and then you can get really clear on your ideal audience (next weeks blog post) and then you can start to build out your visual brand strategy and share your products and services with the world.
Let’s Connect!
I hope you enjoyed this blog post. If you have any questions about branding or personal branding, connect with me.
If you are just getting started, here’s some ways I can help you:
Join my “YOU Branded” Community on Facebook.
Grab my Ebook “Zero to Branded”. This comprehensive guide will help you to launch and grow your personal brand so you can share your gifts with the world.
Connect with me on Social Media to get more helpful hints and tips on how to launch and grow your brand.