Now comes the fun part—it’s time to build a product, service, or solution for them. But wait. Don’t make the most common mistake that I see in entrepreneurs. Resist the urge to move inward at this point. Look outward instead.
Don’t get me wrong, building a great product is key to your business. It’s so obvious that it goes without saying. But you need your potential customers more than ever at this critical point. You have to offer them a seat at the table. You have to get them involved. Now, not later. Give your customers a voice. You can’t afford to leave your customers out of the process, for two reasons:
1. Customers Help You Build
It’s your job make the hard decisions. I would never suggest that you hand over control of the product to your customers. They can give you useful feedback, but customers are generally good at reacting, not creating. They will never tell you to subtract, only to add. They never say no to a feature. That’s your job.
But the right input at the right time is immensely valuable to you and your team. However, give your customers too much of a voice, and you will produce a bad product. The key is finding the balance.
Remember, now is not the time for selling. You’ve got to get the product right. Use this opportunity for what it is. Put your sales cap away and do the work of getting honest reactions to your work. Let them help. They need to feel like they are a part of the process. Then they will be on your side. In fact, they are the very beginning of your core audience.
2. Customers Help You Sell
In any business, your audience is your most important asset. Once you have an audience that trusts you and listens to what you have to say, you have something that you can monetize. You have to be extremely careful not to damage that trust in the process. Attention is hard to earn, but it’s worth it. Attention can be converted into capital.
Your first cohort of customers—the ones who have helped you build the product—is the very beginning of your audience. They feel invested. They feel like they a part of the venture. They were there at the start. This is a special relationship–one you should nurture.
Why? Because if you handle this right, this group will become your best sales reps. What you have built is remarkable. They will advocate in their respective networks, excitedly and willingly. They will find and convert leads for you. What’s more, they will do it better and more effectively than you—or any sales rep you hire. They have the credibility that you don’t.
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This is powerful stuff. And it’s why it is so important that you hire the right customers [see the next piece in the series]. If you give them a voice, they will use it for you later.
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This piece is a part of a 10-part series called Content Strategy for Entrepreneurs.
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Photo Credit: “Idea Count” by Michael Boezi. More at: http://instagram.com/mboezi.