Ok, bold statement time. You may not be listening properly to your customers. So many of us are guilty for it though, so you’re not alone!

It’s true though,sometimes we get so caught up in ‘what we offer’, it’s not always in synch with ‘what people want’. I had a skype chat with a colleague of mine last week, and we got on to the subject of the packages that I currently offer, namely podcasts, on-hold messaging etc etc. Through the conversation he mentioned that it’s easier for other people to sell other people’s wares as they’re not at all self-conscious about it. For example, you will quite happily say that ‘person x’ is the best at doing ‘x’ and has helped your business no end, and near enough shout it from the rooftops. It would be much harder to say the exact same thing, with the same amount of passion if you were talking about yourself.

What this boils down to is the fact that you don’t want to come across as sounding pushy or arrogant, even though you may well be the absolute best person for the job; we have a problem with saying so without fear of looking bad. So out of this conversation, my colleague said ‘why don’t you offer radio style adverts people can use on their own websites, that actually sell their services for them?’. Now this is something which I almost do already, but it’s packaged up in a different way, and is a twist on what I already offer.

This just proves that sometimes you have to just take a step back, find out what people actually want rather than just plough on with what you think they want. I asked him the question, hypothetically, is this a service he would pay for, and would he see great value in having this a service. He said unequivocally yes; it’s a service that helps a company to sell their own services or products via their own site, to ultimately result in more sales.

It’s all about hooking people’s attention when potential customers land on your website, and making sure they come back. With what I was already offering, it wouldn’t have majorly done this, but now having listened to what my potential customers want, I have a much better understanding of what to offer.

So, my top tip – every so often, do a personal mental stock take of what you already offer product/service wise, check it’s in line with what people want, and if it’s not – change it!