You’ve just launched your new offer and…well…

Nada.

You get a couple of likes on social media. You check your email analytics (twice) and see your launch email has a decent open rate, but only a few people click the link.

And those that do, well, that’s all they do. They don’t sign up. They don’t click the PayPal button. They don’t send you an email with questions or book a consult.

You send out your second email and post your next update. And wait.

Still nothing.

Part of you can’t believe it. You put so much work into creating this. You know there are people who need your help, and you know deep down you can help them.

And another part of you, a less helpful part, starts questioning whether you or can grow this business at all. You think back on other efforts that haven’t netted results or you start to compare yourself to others in your training program or business group that seem to be sailing along, and you get disheartened.

What’s the Problem?

Do you remember Google Glass? In 2014, Google announced it was selling wearable voice-controlled glasses –a hands free-smart phone that would display information in your field of vision. Despite months of hype, the product launch didn’t go well, and it was eventually discontinued.

Although there were a number of issues, most analysts agree the biggest problem the product faced is that people didn’t understand why they should buy the product. They weren’t willing to invest in something that they didn’t see value in.

In other words, people didn’t understand what problem the product was meant to solve.  

WHAT YOUR CLIENTS WANT

There could be many reasons why the offer hasn’t taken hold – almost none have to do with there not being people that need your help, or your ability to help them.

One common problem I see is when coaches, healers or other creative entrepreneurs don’t design their offers as solutions their ideal clients really need.

When you create offers for your ideal clients in your business, you face the same challenge. In order to resonate with your clients, your offers need to address a problem or set of problems they care about and are facing.  

Discovering what it is

How do you craft offers that address your ideal clients’ problems? This is easy if you’ve been in business a while and are busy working with clients. You know what they’re dealing with and what they most need help with because you hear from them every day.

But what if you’re still growing your business? If you’re just starting out or you don’t have many, or even any, clients to ask?

Here are five ideas to help you get more information to build a strong offer - one that your customers really want.

ASK YOUR FRIENDS

Maybe you have a friend that would have been an ideal client several years ago. For example, perhaps you help women with difficult relationships and one of your friends went through a rough patch in her marriage a few years ago. In this case, you can be direct and ask “What would have helped you then?”

Otherwise, you know you probably know one or two people that could be your ideal client. Ask them if they wouldn’t mind helping you out with some market research. Keep the conversation general, so you don’t end up making them feel on the spot. As you describe your ideal client, ask them to imagine themselves in that situation and help brainstorm what exactly they’d need or want.

Talk to COLLEAGUES

Chances are you’re connected in some way with other coaches, healers or creatives. They may be people you’ve trained with, others you’ve met networking or are in the same online groups with.

Ask if anyone is familiar with your target market and see if they’d be willing to hop on the phone for an interview. The information you get will be gold, and, as a bonus, you’ll get to know a colleague better.

Survey

If getting on the phone feels like a lot of ask, develop a short survey and distribute it to those people you think are part of your ideal client group or are very familiar with it. Keep it short to enhance engagement and focus the questions around identifying key problems. If you have an online group you are part of, either that’s focused on your target audience or is business related, see if you can post research requests.

Conduct a Fan Interview

Maybe you’ve got someone who seems to comment and like your posts a lot, but they haven’t purchased anything from you. They seem supportive and resonate with the types of content you share. See if they wouldn’t mind helping you out with a short bit of market research. If you frame your request with gratitude for their support and state what you need and why, most people are really willing to help out.

Ask Yourself

There’s a strong possibility your ideal client is a previous version of you. If your niche is focused on helping others with something you grappled with before, then interview yourself.  Drop in and take yourself back to the time when you were in the thick of your struggles. Ask yourself what it was that you really wanted, what would have helped you then.

Like everything else in your business, you’ll continue to refine your offers. The more you find out about your ideal clients, the better attuned your offers are going to be. The more clients you gain, the more information you get about what they need. And so on.

If your offer isn’t designed to give potential clients a solution they want or need right now, then you’re going to have difficulty getting them to buy.  Luckily, with a little extra research, you can gain a clear view to help you change that.

Photo by Nine Köpfer on Unsplash