“When customers share their story, they’re not just sharing pain points. They’re actually teaching you how to make your product service, and business better. Your customer service organization should be designed to efficiently communicate those issues.”
— Kristin Smaby
Buying, as an act, is something that is fundamentally emotional in nature. Sure, there are logical elements that go into the buyer’s journey — But what both initiates and completes our purchase decisions is based almost entirely on how we feel. This is why it is incredibly worthwhile to examine the psychological principle of motivation.
But what motivates us, anyway? From a marketing perspective, the answer to that question is largely “pain”. Pain is a powerful force, rooted deeply in the limbic system of the human brain. This is the part that controls not only our survival instincts, but our emotional responses to the world around us. It’s why we avoid getting hit by cars, fear spiders, or jolt when we hear unexpected loud noises. Ultimately, it’s the limbic brain that is also responsible for why we feel discontentment about any number of things in our lives. We are hard-wired for survival, and pain is our brain’s way of telling us that something is a threat to that survival.
So, if pain is one of our primary motivators in life, then one of the very best things you can do as an entrepreneur is to act as the solution to the pains of your customer. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a mind reader or a psychologist to figure out what their pains are. All that’s necessary is for you to turn to your own emotions.
Ask yourself: What are your own pains in life? If you were to buy your own product, would it completely alleviate those pains? If not, how can you improve your offert? Simply put, it’s a great idea to empathize with your audience, and remember that a dissatisfied customer is an opportunity for you to improve. Each and every complaint is a both a story of pain, and a chance for you to provide a brilliant solution. Once you demonstrate that you’ve been in your customer’s shoes, they will trust you — And trust is key to building lasting relationships.
