Ask These Two Questions to Understand Your Customers
The questions Jesus asked give you insight into strategy and business.
Do you know what your customers say about your company or brand?
Are you confident that your clients and customers understand what your company stands for and how it helps them solve their problems?
Are consumers clear about who you are, what you do, and why it matters to them?
Think of your favorite brand and a product or activity you associate with.
When you see a pair of white earbuds, you can identify that individual as a member of a tribe that prefers Apple products.
When you ride a Can-Am Spyder, other motorcycle riders signal their kinship with a subtle wave as you pass on the road.
When you go on vacation at a Wyndham resort, it’s easy to start a conversation with another couple by asking where they are from and if they are owners.
We find community and shared purpose through our shared identity’s beliefs, values, and guiding principles. We express our personalities through symbols and signals, so we can quickly identify each other based on whom we say we are.
We assume that the signals we send and the symbols we wear represent the best of us, our shared values, and the characteristics of our “brand.”
Two Powerful Questions You Must Ask Your Customers
Reflecting on my experience after a trip to Israel, I can’t help but notice that the questions Jesus asks his followers can give us insight into strategy and business.
He asked the same questions you should ask consumers and your team to help you understand what the market perceives.
Jesus chose to ask two questions in a conversation near Caesarea Philippi (An area located in the northern part of Israel, by Mount Hermon and the Jordan River), where people used to worship the Greek god, Pan. (You might opt for a more welcoming environment).
He wanted to know, “Is the message about me rising above the noise of competing messages about false gods?”
You can ask the same question about your brand and business: “Is our message breaking through anything else competing for our preferred consumers attention in the marketplace?”
First, Jesus asked his followers, “Who do people say I am?”
You should be asking your team similar questions:
“What do prospective customers say about our company?”
“What does the marketplace say about our company?”
These questions will quickly reveal to you if people understand three key points:
What people think your company does,
How you help them solve their problems, and
Why they should do business with you.
To communicate your company’s purpose with clarity, you must to be listening to the story people tell themselves about your company.
When you ask customers these questions and listen intently to what they say (not for what you want to hear), the answers will help you do two things:
Understand if your go-to-market message and services align with the problems your customers need help solving
Evaluate how your brand messaging and customer experience must adapt to change their misperceptions and reinforce your business and growth strategy.
When you ask these questions, people know you’re interested in their thoughts and feel respected when their voice matters. What customer doesn’t love a brand that listens to their needs?
Whether launching, growing, or sustaining your business, you don’t have to do it alone. Hire a design and marketing team who can help you achieve your goals, or get access to business coaching and a community of experts.
Next, Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?”
The disciples were with Jesus every day. If Jesus’ disciples were not on the same page and were unclear about who he was and why he mattered, how could they follow him?
Your employees and team are with you every day. Does what they understand and believe about your company align with its mission, leadership, and the identity it projects to customers?
If your team, message, and marketing aren’t all on the same page, how will your customers know if your company and brand are right for them?
How will they be clear about who you are and why they want to work for or buy from you?
Like your customers, everyone in your business must know the same three key points that you want your customers to believe:
What your company does,
How you help customers solve their problems, and
Why customers should do business with you.
Jesus was checking with his closest circle of followers (his team) to learn what they were hearing from the people. He needed to know if his team understood who he was and why he mattered.
This leadership model is easy for you to practice: Jesus expected his followers to listen to the people, and he listened to his team. This example is a powerful model of leadership in marketing.
You should listen to your team and expect your team to listen to your customers.
When you expect the same from your team, you create unity and alignment in your culture and communications. Listen to your customers and the people that serve them. Ask what they think, measure their perceptions of your brand character, and avoid wasting time and money trying to sell products and services for problems people don’t have.
When you ask the same questions, you can be confident your brand and messaging will connect with your customers.
Find more articles like this at ExtraordinaryStrategist.com and Aespire.com/blog.