Part 1 talked about the importance of identifying your target market.  Now, the next step is to figure out… 

2.  What is their pain?
What keeps your target market up at night?  What are they most worried about?  What do they want relief from?  Why might they look to you in desperation?

Our rain poncho salesman knows that his potential customers fear getting wet.  He has targeted his market so well, and placed himself so strategically in front of them, that they will literally flock to him for relief from their “pain.”  He doesn’t even need to pay for advertising.  Most of us may not find it quite that simple, but we can certainly position ourselves to attract more clients (and attract them much more easily!) by specifically targeting them and making sure they can find us and get to us easily to relieve their suffering.

When people decide to buy a product or service, they only care about three main things:
• The benefits they receive
• The value your product provides them
• The results they get from the product

If they’re in need of a rain poncho to keep them dry in a downpour, it won’t matter to your clients how long you’ve been in business, how many colors you offer, or what your background is.  Though all of this is important, and may come up later, your potential clients won’t buy from you unless they feel you can meet an immediate perceived need and end their pain.

It’s not always easy to identify your target market’s immediate need, though.  If you’re having difficulty, remember that there are ten basic things that motivate people to buy products: 
• Saving time
• Saving money
• Making money
• Avoiding effort
• Increasing happiness
• Finding success
• Being pain-free
• Having fun
• Feeling safe and secure
• Feeling liked or loved

Any need or “pain” that your potential customer has, is connected in some way to at least one of the factors in this list.  Think about how these might apply to a need they have—a need you can fulfill.

Next: Step 3

target market, marketing, get more clients