18 questions to understand your buyers' decisions
Hello welcome to this edition 👋
In my opinion, the first job in marketing is to understand the buyers. With this knowledge, the rest of the process will be much easier. Because when you know someone well, it’s easier to convince them you have the right solution.
So in this edition, I’ll share;
The 18 questions to understand your buyers' decisions
It will cover 3 main components of the buying decision:
Why are they making this purchase?
What are they buying to cover this 'why'?
How are they buying to access this 'what'?
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1. The foundation is to understand why your audience buys (it impacts everything else)
Understand the motivation or the problem behind the decision. It's the initial buying trigger that will start the buying decision process.
Your goal is to understand the deep reason behind the purchase:
What specific problem are they facing right now?
What will happen if this problem is not solved?
Who in their company is most affected by this issue?
What internal project or goal does this solution support?
Are there external pressures (market, regulations, competitors) pushing them to act now?
How will success be measured after this is implemented?
2. Then, you need to know what they want to buy (and what they actually buy)
To fix their problem or access a 'gain' buyers choose among a broad list of options (services, products, coaching, recruitment...). You need to understand WHAT they are looking to buy.
Your goal is to clarify what the buyer actually wants in the solution:
What features are non-negotiable for them?
Which capabilities will make their daily work easier?
How should this solution fit with their current tools or systems?
Which benefits matter most to their team?
What would the “perfect result” look like 6 months after buying?
Are there any features they do not need or want?
3. Last but not least, study how they buy (most marketers skip this)
Every organization have their own buying process. They go through a series of steps and people to complete successfully the buying project. You need to study this process and find patterns.
Your goal is to understand the process and constraints of the purchase:
Who needs to approve this purchase in their company?
What is the budget for this project?
When do they need the solution in place?
Are there legal or policy requirements they must follow?
How does their company usually compare or test vendors?
Is there a preferred buying season or timing for them to make the purchase?
The 3 layers are interconnected and you should study them all (or you’ll miss key points)
With these 3 layers, you have a good understanding of your audience and ICP
It's crucial to answer those questions for a specific ideal customer (ICP). If you are targeting everyone, you won't be able to answer those questions correctly.
With a broad (and inefficient) targeting you will always find "they want to boost revenue" or "they want to 10x their growth". Because of that, you'll write platitudes in your headlines like "10x your revenue with our product".
Alright that’s the end of this edition! Hope it helped you to learn more about your audience’s buying journey.
Nice piece :) A great way I've found to get at the "how" is to ask "What's the most recent software tool your team bought, and what was that process like?"
People open right up about a past experience!
Crystal clear. Thank you!!