Over the years I've spent time trying to understand my prospects goals. As business owner we have to. I've discovered the magic really begins when you begin to dig deeper. What do I mean by this exactly?... when you research prospects, you're really trying to uncover their greatest pains. You discover exactly what issues they're experiencing that make them need your product or service. Try to make it your sole objective to communicate that you understand those pains. And, above all, have ways to address them. If you can do this you're definitely ahead of the game in terms of getting your prospect's attention.
There are many ways to begin researching your target audience. But, what's the obvious way to go about it? By visiting your prospect's website! Hoovers.com is an excellent resource for a company overview, not to mention their executives, product/service offerings, client base, and an idea of the competitive landscape. Initially, this is a great place to begin, but none of this truly defines what you are really after. I love sharing information that really helps people, so I'm here today to let you in on a very important secret - find information on the prospect's business problems that impact its sales. Also, discover exactly who the key decision makers are.
Along the way, I've found certain tactics to be most useful, these five have really helped me make a difference. 1. Go to the Better Business Bureau website: and click on either Canada or US. Most people don't ever bother to file a complaint unless they're really angry with the company. Therefore, this site can be a great source for uncovering product and service issues within the company. When you click on "Check Out a Business or Charity" and then type in the prospect company name it's like panning for gold... You'll get a BBB rating - it's labeled A - F. It's based on the number of complaints received and the average time it took for those issues to be resolved. What I really love most is the breakdown regarding the nature of those complaints. Voila, the data that you've found can be used for doing a more refined Internet search. What I'm trying to illustrate can be found in the following example. A prospect has 19 service issues, Step One, click on the number in front of the problem (19) and you'll get a more detailed breakdown as to what's happening. Step Two, do a Google search using the issue ("service") and the prospect company name/product name as your keywords. Also, for some companies listed on the site, you'll get the option of clicking on a "detailed view" and an "industry comparison". These provide additional data and also give you an idea of how often other companies in that industry receive similar complaints.
2. One of my all time favorites for researching a company's web traffic is , this amazing site enables you to follow search analytics, and demographics. Traffic can be viewed for the past month and three-month period for your prospect. I love discovering demographic information on gender, age, and marital status. Additionally, one finds the education level of site visitors as well as the keywords they use to find the site and other sites. Try to enter URLs for your prospect's competitors it's best you get a snapshot of any trends, dips or surges in the site's traffic. You can also get an idea of how, in terms of website visits, this prospect stacks up against its competition. Additionally, by searching on the keywords used to find the prospect site, you can track down your prospect's smaller competitors.
3. A keyword search using negative words/phrases in conjunction with the prospect company/product name. Do a search on any bad buzz your prospect has received via blogs, opinion sites, and more. There is usually a wealth of information here. An informed search encompasses both the company name and their specific products/services offered. This one's always enlightening; beside the company name or product, type in the following words: frustrated, disappointed, irritated, worst, hate, angry, problematic, terrible, cons, shortcoming, weak, weakness, don't recommend, problem, issue, challenge, don't like,-you will start to see the real picture. The fresh insights you'll discover will be amazing!
4. Conduct a keyword search on your "prospect name vs. its competitor's name" and on your "prospect product/service name vs. its competitor's product/service name". For example, enter "Target vs. Walmart" or "Avon vs. Mary Kay".
5. Visit industry association websites and look at topics for upcoming webinars and conferences. Your prospect wants relevant information to keep abreast with their industry. Webinars and conferences are the arenas where speakers tend to base their presentation choices on high-interest, high-pain themes for that particular industry. Conference agendas provide a wealth of information. Why? Issues that your prospects are likely to be facing are there in black, white and technicolor. Also, check out what your prospect's executives are talking about.
Don't forget to test drive all these research strategies. Put them all to the test. Let me know what you come up with! As a business owner I'm must be always be thinking - What are your biggest challenges, and how can I provide you with solutions? Initial contact with my prospect always outlines how my product can help you. Ready to differentiate from your competition? Let's get busy...
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