I read an interesting article recently that really brought me back to basics on the how our customers think very differently about selling our products and services than we do.

The article was titled “You think you are selling eggs” from an American Business Consultant, Kristin Zhivago. Kristin’s message was that “You think you are selling eggs”. You’re not.

How true! What Kristin was saying in a quirky way is that is not the product you sell that the customer wants. What you are really selling what that product does for them.

Knowing this information is critical because you can then design your products or services and create compelling marketing messages that connect with what the customer really wants and therefore sell more. A couple of hours doing this research can have massive results on your bottom line.

Now there is nothing new in this and I’m sure you have probably heard it before, but instead of guessing what things the customer wants from your eggs how can you find out what they really want?

Here’s my five quick tips that you can use to find out what your customers really want from your products or services:

1. Put yourself in their shoes. Close your eyes and imagine you’re the customer. What do you want now?
2. Hang where they hang. Join LinkedIn Forums and online groups where they hang out and listen for their messages.
3. Google it. Get online and search for “what xxx wants from their eggs”. You’ll be surprised at what can find out.
4. Ask your customers. Call them up and ask them the top 5 uses for your product or service.
5. Ask those who didn’t buy from you. Call them up and ask them the top 5 uses for the product or service they did buy.

Have fun finding out how your eggs are used!