Notes from Chris

Episode 1157

In recent Classroom episodes, we’ve looked at different side hustle ideas—where they come from, categories of different ideas, how to decide between competing ideas, and so on. Last week we looked at the three elements of every compelling offer: a promise, a pitch, and a price.

Essentially we’re going from thinking about ideas to designing real offers. This episode seamlessly continues the thread line. It’s called Give The People What They Want (not what they say they want).

Alternatively, you could call it Give Them the Fish.

The other day (Ep. 1152) I mentioned the story of the spreadsheet guy, which originally came from The $100 Startup. This got me thinking about something else from that book: how important it is to understand what your customer really wants, which might be different than what you think, or even what they say.

It's all the fault of the old parable: “Give a man a fish and he'll fish for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll fish for a lifetime.” This might be a good idea for homeless fishermen, but it's usually a terrible idea in business. Most customers don't want to learn how to fish. We work all week and go to the restaurant so that someone can take care of everything for us. We don't need to know the details of what goes on in the kitchen; in fact, we may not even want to know the details.

The customer is NOT always right. Listen to everything, but make your own decisions.

In fact, one of the most powerful things you can say to a customer or potential customer who is dissatisfied is “You know, it sounds like what we’re offering isn’t a good fit for you. I hope you find something else that serves you better.”

Listen to today's Classroom episode to learn more...

 

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THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Two weeks ago your assignment was: write a short paragraph or two about your idea, focusing on the benefit it will provide. This benefit can be emotional or practical or both, but it shouldn’t just be descriptive.

This week, ask: how can you give your customer what they really want?

If this seems redundant, that’s great—you’re a star student! Next week we’ll be moving on. For anyone who doesn’t have it yet, I want to stress its importance.

You’ve thought about messaging, you have a promise, a pitch, and at least some idea of price. You’ve thought about your ideal customer ... how will your product or service meet them at a point of their core emotional desire?

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  Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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