Understanding Customer Pain : Being A Pain Specialist Can Help You Serve Your Customers Better
When an existing or potential client has a business problem, or is experiencing some sort of pain related to the business, you have an opportunity to demonstrate your expert problem solving skills. To be effective at solving customer pains, you have to first understand the “category” that the client’s pain falls into before you can develop an effective problem solving strategy.
In business, customer pains generally fall into one of three categories: immediate pain, emergent pain and imminent pain. The key to turning a client problem or pain into an opportunity to do business together is in figuring out what characteristics are surfacing.
Characteristics Of Immediate Pain:
- Issue causes problems today
- Issue impedes business functions and/or processes
- Customer is losing sleep about the problem
- Feeding the problem is costing the customer money
- Not having a solution is not an option
Characteristics Of Emergent Pain:
- Creates an uncomfortable working environment
- Impacts business effectiveness
- People are vocal about the problem – but not about a solution
Characteristics Of Imminent Pain:
- The problem is referred to as something “down the road”
- It doesn’t hurt enough for anyone to take action right now
When Customers Feel Pain, What They Really What To Know Right Now Is:
What is it going to cost?
How soon can I have a solution?
What can you guarantee?
How long will it last?
What are my options?
About The Author:
Olalah Njenga is the CEO and senior marketing analyst at YellowWood Group, LLC. YellowWood Group is a strategic marketing firm that helps business owners re-interpret traditional marketing methods by leveraging new tools, new media and new thinking for better results, faster. Olalah is volunteer counselor for SCORE®, America's Counselors To Small Business, and has been profiled twice at Idea Cafe®, a leading website for small businesses. She is a member of the National Speakers Association and speaks on a variety of topics including strategic marketing, competitive analysis, profitability, brand equity and differentiation. She is also the creator of the Marketing With Ease™ Self Coaching Kit, a do-at-your-own-pace marketing coaching program for business professionals in service businesses.
Olalah can be reached via email at onjenga@yellowwoodgroup.com.
