Customer "ownership" starts with a clear understanding of what your target customers really need or want.  But trying to get inside your customers' heads is not always easy.  Here are our three simple questions that have worked powerfully for hundreds of clients. 

Answering these three questions, honestly and completely, will bring you a profound understanding of your customers and will help you create hundreds of  "customer-owning" service and marketing ideas.

When our target customers are buying what we sell, and when they're doing business with us...

Question #1: 
What are they really trying to DO?  How can we help them to do that more effectively?

Question #2(a): 
What do they want (or need) to KNOW ABOUT US in order to...

• Be aware of us and understand our compelling value
• Have confidence in us and trust us
• Have an efficient, uplifting, and stress-free experience doing business with us

What must we do to help them to know that?

Question #2(b): 
What do they want (or need) to KNOW ABOUT WHAT WE SELL in order to...

• Have confidence themselves
• Make the best purchase decision for them
• Get the most functional and financial value out of what they buy from us

What must we do to help them to know that?

Question #3: 
How do they want to FEEL ...
a) When they do business with us,
b) Every time they use what they buy from us?

What are the many things that we can do to help them to feel this way at every point at which our target customers "touch" our business and our products or services in any way?

That's it!  Asking and answering these three simple questions will open you up to hundreds of marketing and service innovations that will "grab" your target customers, clearly differentiate you from your competitors and grow your bottom line. These questions are easier to ask than to answer, but the resulting insights will amaze you!

Create a Task Force of a few of your best people and set aside just two hours to start asking these three questions.  Think and feel like a customer through every step of the process of choosing, buying and using what you sell...and then, get creative!   How can you help your target customers, to know and to feel what they want, in a way that will create customer "ownership"?

If you would like to know exactly how your customers feel, when they do business with you, give us a call Toll Free: 1-877-884-0051

FIVE Goal Setting Secrets to Jumpstart Your Life

"Plan for the future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life." - Mark Twain

Another year is upon us and you have your list of resolutions or goals you want to accomplish in the upcoming year.  It’s time to plan your goals so that it’s not just another conversation this year, but a focused plan for success.  I will share with you five goal setting techniques guaranteed to help you achieve more out of life.  Use the goal setting techniques listed below to help you achieve your targets:

1. Be SMARTER with your Goals.
Make your goals:

• Specific
• Motivational
• Action-oriented
• Relevant to your situation
• Time-bound
• Encouraging
• Rewarding

For example, “I will increase my sales by 15% compared to last year.” Be as specific about your goal as possible. “I will start my own catering business” is a lot stronger than “I want to go into business for myself.” Challenging goals are motivating. Set goals that will push beyond what you usually think you can accomplish. Remember to set a deadline. A goal without a deadline is simply a dream. Attach a realistic yet challenging deadline for accomplishment and post this where you can review it regularly.

2. List the benefits you intend to receive by achieving each goal.
This will keep you focused and strong, particularly when you face the inevitable roadblocks and barriers. In June, when I chose to lose 20 pounds, I listed 12 benefits, and when I had the urge to put butter on my veggies or help myself to a second serving of food, I would review this list to help me get past that craving. I lost the 22 pounds and two inches around my waistline to date.  I think I will go for another 10 pounds.  This was not a diet, just a lifestyle change.  The more benefits you can list for your goals, the more motivating those goals will become.

3. Put your goals in writing.
This simple act helps you clarify your goals and will allow you to visualize them more effectively. I recommend that you record each goal on a separate index card and review them twice a day – once in the morning (when you first wake up) and again before you go to bed. Post index cards where you spend the most time; on the bathroom mirror, on the frig., on your nightstand, etc.   This process reinforces your goals, acts as a reminder, and drives your goals deep into your subconscious. In fact, this is one of the most powerful strategies you can use to achieve your targets.

4. Phrase your goal in the present tense and assume success.
Don't say, “I want to.” Say, “I will.” This subtle technique tells your subconscious that you have already achieved your goal, which means it will work at helping the goal become a reality. It will attract the people, places, and situations you need to achieve that goal.

5. Visualize your goals. 
Take 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes just before you go to bed; find a quiet place; close your eyes and relax, and visualize yourself actually achieving your goals.  Remember the more senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, etc.) you can involve, the more real your visualization becomes.  I ask during my seminars, “Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real that you woke up in the middle of it?”  Well the reason for that is the subconscious mind is at work involving all of those senses to trick you into believing the dream is real.  Well, you don’t have to wait; work at visualizing your goals today.

So my challenge to you to is to take the time to plan your goals.  Start with one goal and visualize it, write it down, and act on it.  As I always say, “If you don’t invest the time to set goals then someone else will do it for you.  And I guarantee you won’t like their goals.”  Invest the time, start today!

If you would like to learn more about goal setting, give us a call
Toll Free: 1-877-884-0051