STP 68 - Introduction Segment
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[00:00:00] James Marland: Welcome to the scaling therapy practice. This is a podcast of course creation studio, where we empower mission driven leaders to launch life changing online courses. My name is James Marlene. I'm so glad that you have decided to join me today. Today, we're going to talk about an important part of connecting with your audience in marketing and selling and really pulling back the curtain on. Why people make buying decisions.
[00:00:38] James Marland: And this will ensure that your heart. Resonates with the clients that you want it to resonate to, that you can identify their needs and problems and craft a message. That demonstrates that you understand what's going on. Because why is this important? If nobody knows about your product, if nobody knows what's inside your product, if nobody knows the benefits that you can get them and you're not connecting with them, then. Nobody's going to buy your product even the best cust even the best course, the best product, the best service. I get zero sales and zero customers. If we can't understand what people need and communicate with them, that we can solve their problems
[00:01:25] James Marland: We're going to talk about customer awareness and customer needs. And this is a pivotal topic in marketing strategies, whether you are creating an online course, selling a therapy service, or selling a product. This is an important part of. Understanding why people make buying decisions? Have you ever thought to yourself, why did they skip over my product and buy somebody else's product that is inferior?
[00:01:53] James Marland: Or why am I not making conversions? Like I thought I should. The answer is. In part due to customer awareness and customer needs. We're going to reference Eugene Schwartz's foundational work. On breakthrough advertising.
[00:02:12] James Marland: You're going to review, remove the fog about customer buying decisions. Pulling back the curtain and understanding why people do the things they do. You're going to understand the spectrum of awareness. Your course creators are going to learn about. The levels of awareness from unaware people, not knowing anything about your product, to being fully aware and getting ready to buy your product.
[00:02:35] James Marland: And it's crucial for understanding the different things you can do in those stages to help people make buying decisions.
[00:02:43] James Marland: And finally, you're going to learn about tailoring content to customer needs.
[00:02:47] James Marland: . So come join me on this. Discussion of understanding customers and customer needs and customer awareness. I think you're going to learn a lot and hopefully uncover some of the mystery on why people buy and why people don't buy.
[00:03:01] James Marland: We're going to start with talking about customer needs. Knowing your customer needs improves your ability to market and to reach and connect with your ideal client. If you know what they need, if you know what they want, then you can tailor your message. And they're your level of awareness. To what they are looking for.
[00:03:22] James Marland: There are two types of client needs. There's implied needs and explicit needs. Implied needs are needs that are inferred through behaviors and circumstances, but they're not directly stated they don't come out and say, I need this service or product. That's. The difference between explicit needs directly state. What they want.
[00:03:47] James Marland: I want. Hamburger. I want a Wendy's creamsicle. Frosty. They're orange creamsicle, frosty. That's new, which I I do like the orange creamsicle frosty.
[00:04:02] James Marland: But they directly state what they need, that I need a new podcast microphone. I need a course to help me market. I need a course on. Anxiety. And dealing with my imposter syndrome. Explicit. They explicitly say what those are.
[00:04:21] James Marland: A little bit more on implied means implied needs are not directly stated, but they're inferred from behaviors, complaints of somethings somebody's complaining about things all the time. Like, oh, I'm so hot or I'm so cold or I'm so tired or I'm so stressed, but they don't actually come out and say, I need a vacation.
[00:04:41] James Marland: I need. I need some time. They don't say that's implied. They represent the underlying issues. That potential customers. They might not be fully aware of. They see things that lead you. To figure out where they are on the awareness stage. And the context of educational courses. Parent might express concern about their child B their grades are declining.
[00:05:08] James Marland: Things are going wrong, or they don't want to go to school on test days, or they are, they. Their child struggles with motivation. They don't quite know what their child needs. They don't quite know the underlying problem. They just know there is a need there.
[00:05:24] James Marland: Explicit needs. On the other hand, they're directly. Articulated by the person who wants the service or the customer. They're specific about their requirements and they, it makes it easier for us to clearly tailor. What their needs are. And it's also this just a side note. It's really important to listen to what your customer wants and what they say they want. If they tell you what they want and do you know how to deliver it, then you can tailor your message to. To meet exactly what they are. Demanding. But you can't do it.
[00:06:02] James Marland: If they're not listening. You can't give them something you don't, you're not aware of because you're not listening. So listen to your customers. So in the context of educational courses, Apparent might directly state I'm looking for something to help my child manage test anxiety. This is an explicit need where they clearly identify the issue, which is test anxiety and the solution that they're looking for.
[00:06:30] James Marland: Some support, a course. Another example could be a parent specifically asking for our course. That helps them with practice exams, like the like, practice exams and quizzes so that they can help reduce their child's test anxiety. That's a specific need for a specific type, of course, that they're looking for things that I look for to help people for specific needs. People are like, what microphone do you use?
[00:06:57] James Marland: Or what program do you use to do your podcast? Or what program do you use to host online courses? Those are specific needs. That I can answer. Either in a blog or in a. I don't have any courses for those. But a blog that has a page that says these are the resources I use to create my podcast or my content. That's a helping them. With their solution. So why is it important? Why is knowing needs important for marketing these courses? Understanding whether a need is implied or explicit helps us tailor the message and the course design, for example, for implied needs. You will need to educate the customer. More about how your course addresses the underlying problems.
[00:07:45] James Marland: The problems that they're expressing can be helped. Through this course, specifically, this involves highlighting. The benefits and the features of your course that meet those unspoken needs, possibly even helping them realize.
[00:08:01] James Marland: That you can solve the problem that they weren't fully aware of. For explicit needs. Your marketing can be very direct. You focus on. Clearly showing how your course meets their problems, their stated needs using precise language that you've learned from listening. You learn the right words to say,
[00:08:21] James Marland: by listening to what they are saying.
[00:08:24] James Marland: So the key benefit of knowing their needs is you can be more effective by distinguishing between these types of needs. You can create more effective content and more connection points between your course, your offering your service. And your dream clients.
[00:08:42] James Marland: Understanding the distinction between implied and ex. Implied and explicit needs sets the stage for crafting messages that really resonate. Deeply with your audience. So let's give an example as we move into understanding from needs to awareness. So let's consider a story to illustrate how this knowledge directly informs our in ProCoach. To the levels of customer awareness.
[00:09:10] James Marland: Imagine you're a parent and you have a child, a son, Ethan. That's becoming increasingly anxious as the school year progresses. You start seeing the signs, you know, the signs of stress that. Ethan's hesitant to go to school on test days. Ethan has trouble sweeping and you start complaining with your neighbors.
[00:09:32] James Marland: Oh, Ethan has trouble sleeping the night before. Big exams. And. Sarah. Is experiencing an implied need. She recognizes the signs of stress in Ethan and she's concerned. About them and connecting them to, she hasn't connected them to a specific solution. Like a chorus to help her. Teach your son anxiety management skills. As we transition into discussing the five levels of customer awareness.
[00:10:05] James Marland: Let's think of Sarah as she moves from simplest seat, simply noticing that there is a problem and noticing that there are signs of stress. To becoming fully aware of specific solutions available and how you tie that to, oh, I have a specific solution for my client. This journey is going to guide us through each level aware of awareness from recognizing unmet need. Where Sarah starts, she has a need, but it's, she's unaware of it to understanding and selecting a solution. That can address the anxiety and the problem and all the underlying problems going on with Sarah and Ethan's life.
[00:10:46] James Marland: By following Sarah's path, we can explore. How do we engage parents at each stage? Ensuring that the marketing strategies we are using are not only heard, but also felt and. Acted upon. So we're gonna, we're gonna explore the five levels of awareness. With a marketing focus.
[00:11:08] James Marland: The first level is unaware customers like Sarah don't really recognize a specific need exists. They would need help becoming aware that there is a real problem. We create content that raises awareness about testing anxiety and its effects on children's academic and social performance. That way she can tie the underlying. Need. The the underlying. Implied need of sleep and stress reduction and avoid test avoidance to the specific need that her son needs help with. Course anxiety or test anxiety. The importance of the stage is crucial because it helps parents. Recognize a problem that they might not have noticed. And it sets the stage for intervention.
[00:12:02] James Marland: And an example that we can do at this unaware stage is develop material that helps them become aware of the problem. I could lay a blog, post a handout. Um, social media post something that they might search for online that they can find on our webpage it's informational and educational in nature. To help them build awareness that there is a problem. The next stage is problem aware. The customer. Sarah, for example, Sarah, our customer recognizes there's a problem, but they're unaware of possible solutions.
[00:12:39] James Marland: So the first one is unaware that there's a problem. The second one is that they are problem aware. They know. Sarah knows something's going on. She's kind of putting the pieces together. And to move them to the next stage. They need something to introduce them to that there are solutions. They understand they have a problem.
[00:13:01] James Marland: They don't even know that there is a solution. So they need something to help them. Educate them and point them towards a solution.
[00:13:11] James Marland: Identifying the problem is only the first step. We have to link it to actionable solutions. Bridging their knowledge gap. They don't know. There's. There's a gap there. And so an example might be, we host a webinar titled understanding your. Understanding your child's test anxiety. The first step for helping them succeed.
[00:13:32] James Marland: That's a long title, but I guess it gets us there. You're understanding your child's testing psychiatry. And then we feature experts and we say, we ask questions in our marketing. Does your child have trouble sleeping? Does your child have trouble with go into school on test days? Does your child. Stop talking about school.
[00:13:52] James Marland: When you bring up certain subjects, all those things that let them know out there. They're putting it together. And they become problem aware.
[00:14:03] James Marland: The next stage, the third stage is solution aware. So we have they're unaware. Then the second stage is they're aware they have a problem. And the third stage is, oh, there is a solution for this problem. Customers are aware that solutions exist, but they are not aware that you have a solution. So they're looking for, they've discovered. That there is a problem of test. Anxiety.
[00:14:30] James Marland: And they've discovered that there are solutions that is there's therapy. There's there's online courses. There's worksheets, there's handbooks. They can read a book. They're like, oh, there's all these solutions for the problem. But they don't. They don't know, you have a solution. So in, in our marketing message, we emphasize our unique benefits in child-friendly. If we're doing the child-friendly techniques, if we're doing the anxiety course, we tell them. This is. This is why we are different.
[00:15:02] James Marland: This is how we get results. This is why you can trust us. So. An example of how we might do this is do a compare and contrast. And we send out an email, people who signed up to our email list. Highlighting how. How our solution is different and how our solution has uses these types of techniques that give us these benefits such as stress reduction, tailored to children, not just stress reduction in general, but things specifically tailored for children who have test anxiety. Well, the final stage. In our awareness is product aware.
[00:15:42] James Marland: So they. They go from unaware. They don't know. They have a problem to problem aware and not knowing that there are solutions to solution aware, knowing that there are solutions to finally, Hey. You have a product, you have a product that can solve my family's problem. The customer knows about your course, they know about your service and they're convinced that this is the right choice that they have made a good decision. With their buying choice. The marketing. Focus here is highlighting. Success stories, testimonials, endorsements. From people who they would listen to educational experts, other parents, other children, teachers. Just any anybody else who's taking your course testimonials on how you've impacted them. I'm helping somebody with. With creating a course on trauma and they're going to get, they did some webinars and they've gotten some feedback on what the other people liked about their. Trauma webinar. They can use that for testimonials for their online course. Just how much people are learning from what they're doing and how it's helping them.
[00:16:58] James Marland: When potential customers see that other people have had positive experiences with your content and positive results, it helps validate them their own decision. That your course is a good solution. The other psychological impact is it builds trust and. Trust and credibility testimonials from real users or endorsements from people that they know and trust. Lead to people also trusting in that product.
[00:17:30] James Marland: I think this leads to the cynical newness of marketing, where people really don't believe things. The first time that they've heard it, they don't believe. That, that you can do what you say you do, but if expert a does and parent B does, and teacher C does. Then they're more likely to believe it. And then there's also authority when. When people they trust. Endorse you. Other export other experts.
[00:17:58] James Marland: It also lens to your own authority on the topic. Besides the psychological impact, there's also an emotional impact. When people, when you hear testimonials and you hear about their story and you hear about what they overcome, it builds empathy. And also they can see themselves.
[00:18:19] James Marland: In the other person's story. Imagine Sarah had a friend, Becky and Becky also had the same problem with their child had testing anxiety and they get to talking and they talk about, oh, I didn't know what to do. And I was so stressed out and I saw how bad my daughter was feeling. And then, oh, I took this course, and this is how I, this is the result.
[00:18:41] James Marland: That was so good. And just imagine how Sarah is now thinking, oh, I can see myself in that situation. I too can take that course. This also reduces fear and anxiety. Oh man. The other. I know I have this big problem. I'm always fearful of either making a bad buying decision or being taken advantage of where.
[00:19:03] James Marland: I fall for the marketing. Jingle. And I'm like, oh this is I'm going to be disappointed in the results. But if I know that other people have gotten good results, then it reduces my own fear and anxiety. Oh, I'm not the first person to try this. For example, have you been thinking about trying the frosty orange cream set go.
[00:19:27] James Marland: Maybe you haven't.
[00:19:28] James Marland: But now that you know, I endorsed the frosty orange creamsicle, maybe you're thinking it's not going to be as bad as I think. It tastes like orange. Popsicle. With a little bit of frosty twist. So there you go. I like it. I like it when it melts a little bit slightly and I can drink it through a straw. It's like a orange milkshake. Yeah this podcast is not endorsed by Wendy's, but I wouldn't mind. A free lifetime surprise supply of orange Frosties.
[00:19:59] James Marland: So we can utilize at this stage, the fourth stage, which is not the final stage, it's the product aware stage.
[00:20:06] James Marland: But we can use this to build authenticity, build relevance like, oh, this is a product that is relevant to me and my needs and visibility for our product or service. And the final stage of awareness after unaware problem aware, then they're solution aware. Now they're product aware that there are products available is most aware and here customers are convinced.
[00:20:32] James Marland: They are convinced that there is a solution. And they just need a final push to make the purchase. They believe that you can solve their problem. They're most aware they're ready to go. How do you convince them to make a purchase? Our focus here is to provide incentives. Like discounts or bonuses or guarantees to start immediate action.
[00:20:56] James Marland: One of the common guarantees here is a money-back guarantee. There's a, it removes the risk. Okay. If we don't solve your problem. Or if you do the product or you apply the solution. In and if you don't get results in 90 days we'll either make it right. Or you get your money back. Like it's it takes the fear and the pain out of making that purchase.
[00:21:18] James Marland: They are there. They're already convinced. That you're going to solve the problem. They just need to have that one last barrier. Removed. Another way to do this for online courses is have bonuses like for this week only, or for this launch period only. The bonus is your Ollie.
[00:21:38] James Marland: I will send you an extra worksheet or I'll give you a 15, 30 minute console. Or.
[00:21:45] James Marland: You get a discount off my next course, whatever the bonus, whatever they feel like they're getting extra value from you and not just perceived, not just like you want to give them real value..
[00:21:58] James Marland: So we've gone over quite a bit here. We've gone over customer needs of implied needs, where they. They are sick. They are saying things about their environment or situations or complaining about things. There that are going on. But they don't really know that they have a problem too explicit needs. And the explicit needs is they're telling you exactly what they want.
[00:22:19] James Marland: Oh, I need a course on. Helping my child. Conquer test anxiety. Or I need resources on how to start my podcast. Or I need resources on how to start my online course, those types of things, their explicit needs, and the more we know about their needs, the more we can craft our message. To hit them where they're at. With awareness. Are they aware that they have a problem?
[00:22:48] James Marland: Are they aware that there is a solution? Are they aware that there are products? That are. Designed to help them with their problem. Are they convinced that you are the answer to their problem, that you are the solution to what is going on in their lives?
[00:23:09] James Marland: As you start crafting your marketing message, make sure. That you start listening to what your clients are saying. Maybe even have a couple conversations with them and track what they say.
[00:23:22] James Marland: What do they complain about? What are they frustrated about? Those are implied needs. What do they say they need?
[00:23:28] James Marland: Those are explicit needs. And then look at where they are on the continuum of awareness. Do they even know they have a problem or do they just need that push or that convincing. That you are absolutely the right product service or solution for them to solve their real problem.
[00:23:47] James Marland: So in conclusion, Just get to know your clients. Get to know what their problems are. And know how your product can serve them. And then at every stage of their awareness, communicate that you have value and you can help them with their issue.
[00:24:07] James Marland: Thank you for tuning into today's episode. We encourage you to consult with professionals and conduct your own research before making any decisions based on the content provided in this podcast. Thank you for listening and we hope you join us again.
[00:24:25] James Marland: Next time.
[00:24:29] James Marland: The scaling therapy practice is a proud part of the site craft network.
