Simply put – no, they don’t! Your audience doesn’t care a lick about what you do. They’re too busy caring a lick about what they do, what they need and what they’re interested in. It’s likely you’re not even on their radar. And with every business in the world vying for their attention, they just simply don’t have time to search you out and learn about what you do.
Unless…they need what you do. It’s inside their need that your audience may, possibly, perhaps, give some of their valuable time learning about what you do.
As a business owner and marketer, you’ve probably heard the adage that the customer is always asking, “What’s in it for me?” Many people focus on trying to understand how the customer will see this question in your products and services. And they’re right, of course.
Yet before you customer ever gets to that question, you first need to capture their attention. And there’s lots of ways, of course, to capture people’s attention. You can use glitz or shock or humor or any number of other techniques. And often you can get attention on what’s shocking, but you don’t get attention on what you’re selling.
To get attention on what you’re selling you have to solve a problem for your audience. You have to display, quickly, that you understand where your potential customer is at, what they’re facing and how their problem is affecting their life or their business. If they’re really ready to solve the problem – and if you’re communicating your understanding of their problem in way they can identify with – you can get them to look further in your message for the solution. And it’s the solution that they’re buying.
Yet most businesses don’t approach it this way. Google just about any search phrase you like. In the results click through to the businesses that come up.. Read their home page or sales page and see who they’re talking too. Are they reporting what they do or are they engaging their audience in their problem?
For those getting front page results in Google, it matters less. They’re going to get the traffic and convert sales anyhow just because they’re found. But for the rest of us who don’t have first page Google results, we need to compete by first showing our audience that we understand their problems. Only then will they ask – ‘what’s in it for me?’ and spend their time learning about our business.
Are you positioning your business as solving problems for your audience? Or do you try to sell to them by teaching them how well you can help them? Which ever you use, why have you chosen that approach?
And more importantly, what sort of response are you getting from your approach?
Let’s talk about it.
(note: image from Sunspring on Flickr, 
some rights reserved)
Dawud: Keeping your customers is just as critical. I have my BB receiving email via (if I can mention them) 123Together. They are never down and answer any techy questions that I might have.
I think that nowadays, when inflation is getting bigger, people are start to have less and less money, they’re looking for the cheapest deal on ebay, or price hunting sites. They’re not really interested if you understand them.
If you’re cheap – that shows that you understand them.
Your audience doesn’t care a lick about what you do.I think its a fact.
“we need to compete by first showing our audience that we understand their problems. Only then will they ask – ‘what’s in it for me?’ and spend their time learning about our business.”
I have been thinking about this almost exclusively for the past week. I believe that speaking to them in a natural voice is important, but being brief and offering details and proof is even more so.
Inflation has lead to dog-eat-dog environment. Small business owners have nothing to do except to excel their business where our economy hasn’t been in over 20 – 25 years. As many can see, huge amounts of stores are closing and all this is due to the economy…
Definitely agree with chusty. Inflation has put a huge hit on the middle and lower class. The cheaper the product is, the better it is for the customer.
A few years ago consumers only cared about the quality of the product. If the product lasts/tastes good/gives good results they would buy it. All you had to do was ‘prove’ (in whatever way, even advertising) that it is a quality product.
Now, instead of proving the product is of quality, you must make sure the product is also cheap… which more times than not hurts the quality.
Really nice ideas how to make your presence or attract audience to your product. Also these tips would surely help out those who are suffering from the financial structure and want the early earnings to give heights to business!
You’re absolutely right! We all have to show that we know what our customer’s problem is and that we can fix it. That’s the key to connecting with new clients.
Great post!
It’s not their responsibility. However, communication is certainly key in this relationship.
No… people don’t care – much – if at all. They are usually in an incredible hurry and want to get on as quickly as possible.
Actually getting front page google results isn’t all too difficult. That is, if you know where to advertise. I learned this while working on my own service website. I got top google, yahoo results but unfortunately my company number changed, though my top listings didn’t. They are still out there and generating mass call to my outdated number.
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Business Profilers Handbook
I think your audience did not care, if its really true, so they doing this?
Mike from business plan outline
As a therapist, I’d like to suggest that it isnt just an audiance that doesnt care. This basic principle extends over societal elements, to the point where someone donating to a charity, does so for the good feeling THEY get.
Yes, customers do not care who you are, unless you are offering something they need.
The “Engaging” tip is really excellent. Its a basic, yet very effective form of business communication. People donot care about others, they are more or less self-centred. So you gotta engage them, show them their benefits, and why they should need you.
Well the sad truth is revealed.They don’t care anything than their own needs.I think to make them start caring about me it’s time I take personal approaches to them.That will make my audience feel different than normal
Exactly – when somebody asks, “What can help me?”, the answer should be “I can!”
Followed by “Because…”
Nice and interesting article, thank you for sharing. Please keep on blogging.
Best regards.
Unfortunately, with the way things are going now economically, PRICE is the only way to get people to notice you.
it seems that when the audience does care about what you to they wonder why you aren’t doing a better job at it (i.e. the government). It’s important to meet people with your product at a place where it is convenient for them and they could use the service.
Another great post of your I have stumbled across. I think it is human nature that people only care about themselves and take no interest in what anybody else is doing unless they want something.