In yesterday’s post I started this series where I describe how narrowing your focus (as a company) can acclerate your growth. If you haven’t read Part 1, skip over there and read it.

Since we know that people are most interested in products and services that are customized just for them, how do we find out what changes we should make to our particular product or service offering to make it most appealing to our target audience?

Every purchase decision that any of us makes is a blend of a variety of factors. None of us is as rational as we want to be in this process. The truth is that we make emotional connections with products and services then we consider everything from price and quality, to the environment, what the buying process is like, even whether we like the salesperson to justify that choice.

However, when we are selling, the buyer doesn’t give us as much feedback about those qualitative measures (like how they like the buying process, or how the suit you are wearing makes them feel more at ease), as they will about the “hard” measures of price and quality. The buyer wants us to believe that those are the only factors. Yet, every day your clients choose to do business with people who didn’t bring them the lowest cost bid or the highest quality product.

So if they won’t tell us about those factors how do we figure them out?

First, asking someone to tell you a story about something they did do will give much better data than if you ask them about what they might do. So if you ask questions like, “How did you make the decision to… “ you will get much better data than if you ask, “How would you…”

Second, it’s very powerful to be able to observe your prospect. How are they acting, what makes them lean forward and engage? What makes them scowl? If you can build good rapport with a prospect or client ask them right then, “I just noticed you reacted to that question, what was going through your head?”

Lastly, don’t be afraid to try some stuff to see what works. I like to do this at a trade show or networking event, where I can get a lot of data quickly. Try changing your introduction to make it more provocative, or evocative and see what happens. If people’s eyes are lighting up, or they are asking, “How do you do that?” you have hit the jackpot.

If you want to find a market where you can sell premium price offerings without beating your head against a wall of competitors, then you need to narrow your focus. Find a market niche in which the quirks and differences that your company has are exactly what they want.

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Brad Farris is a small business advisor with Anchor Advisors, Ltd. in Chicago, Il. Since 2001 Anchor Advisors has been helping creative professional firms to grow, by helping them clarify their purpose, get the most from their people, keep their eye on key performance measures, and implement consistent processes.

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Brad Farris is a small business advisor with Anchor Advisors, Ltd. in Chicago, Il. Since 2001 Anchor Advisors has been helping creative professional firms to grow, by helping them clarify their purpose, get the most from their people, keep their eye on key performance measures, and implement consistent processes. Brad is also the author of The Business Owner’s Champion: 6 Practices to Build your Nerve and your Business.