Identify Customer Needs: Step 1 in Building an Effective Sales Funnel [Sales Funnel Part 2]

By |2015-08-04T09:19:24-04:00January 9th, 2015|Expert Business, Revenue Growth|

[This post is Part 2 of the Build Your Sales Funnel series, a 10-part series. Here's Part 1. Every company needs to build a sales funnel to maximize revenue.] Amusement parks know that there are millions of thrill-seekers like me who are willing to pay to ride rollercoasters. They also know that there are millions of people who don't prefer fast rides. Parks are designed to accommodate both, helping to optimize their revenue. They know that families and groups are made up of thrill seekers and those who like to play games and watch shows. And those willing to watch the kids and eat a funnel cake... When we're building our sales funnels, we need to identify customer needs. Actually, to know what it is that customers really want. Customers often don't buy what they need, but they do buy what they want. I've struggled with this one. I see that companies need strategy help, but many only want marketing help, which is just a portion of the goodness I can offer. For a long time, I tried to convince them of their need, until I finally relented and started selling what they wanted, and Big Think's revenues doubled almost overnight. Finding the Fit Market Fit is the term used to describe the proper fit between a product/service offering and what customers want. To see more about this, see Fit Product to Market, which is the first part of the Big Think Revenue Generator model. You need to find what customers are actually searching for on the Internet, and what they are buying in stores. What flies off the shelves versus what just takes up shelf space. There are several approaches to discover or identify customer needs and wants: Ask people Observe [...]