Remember when you were a kid and pretending to be someone else was just a fun game? You can use the same idea in your small business to get to know your customer, up close and personal.
Knowing your customer is critical to the success of your business. You cannot create effective products, marketing copy and materials, processes, or ideas that will delight your customer if you don’t understand her life, her worries, her skills, her dreams, and her goals.
Some years ago I read an article about a company that served aging customers. To give their employees the opportunity to get into the customer’s head, they had them spend time wearing gloves and special glasses that impaired their vision.
I thought of this recently at the grocery store, as three young employees stood around chatting while an older woman in front of me struggled to put her overloaded plastic sacks into her cart. I stepped ahead and loaded the woman’s cart for her.
If grocery stores were to give their employees the opportunity to spend a few hours working with glasses that impaired their vision, gloves that make their fingers fumble, and arm weights that make them difficult to lift, might they be more likely to help an older woman struggling in the future? I would be happy if they even learned the difference between weight and volume when they are loading a grocery bag to the splitting point!
Pretending to be your customer doesn’t have to be a physical experience. It’s even more fun to play Let’s Pretend mentally.
Spend the day pretending to be someone else, to not know what you know, to try out someone else’s dreams and worries. Look at your products with a stranger’s eyes. What ideas for your small business come to mind? What questions do you have? What tasks could you easily accomplish as yourself but might puzzle your customers?
In your small business, the idea of playing Let’s Pretend could seem like a waste of time. But you may be surprised if you immerse yourself in the game.
By going about your day as your customer, you will not just improve your current products, your marketing copy, or your web site; you may also generate profitable new small business ideas that will delight your real customers.
















{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
I¡¦ve learn a few excellent stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much effort you set to make this sort of great informative website.
Wow, marvelous blog format! How long have you ever been running a blog for? you make blogging look easy. The total glance of your site is excellent, as well as the content material!
I’d personally discourage you going directly to 1 payday bank as you will by no means really know if you’re getting the lowest price.
Good website! I really love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written. I’m wondering how I could be notified when a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your feed which must do the trick! Have a great day!
Wow, marvelous weblog format! How long have you been blogging for? you make running a blog look easy. The entire look of your web site is excellent, as neatly as the content material!
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more from this post. I’m very glad to see such wonderful information being shared freely out there.
I’m no longer sure the place you’re getting your information, but great topic. I must spend a while finding out much more or working out more. Thanks for fantastic info I was on the lookout for this info for my mission.
fantastic points altogether, you simply won a new reader. What could you recommend in regards to your post that you made a few days ago? Any positive?
I¡¦ve read several good stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how a lot effort you place to make any such great informative web site.
Hello.This post was really fascinating, especially since I was looking for thoughts on this subject last Sunday.
hey there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up something new from right here. I did however expertise some technical issues using this site, as I experienced to reload the site many times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and can damage your high-quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for much more of your respective exciting content. Ensure that you update this again soon..
Thank you for some other excellent post. Where else may anybody get that kind of info in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such information.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed! Extremely helpful information specifically the last part
I care for such info a lot. I was seeking this certain information for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.
Hello, you used to write great, but the last several posts have been kinda boring¡K I miss your great writings. Past few posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
I have been which means to post about a thing like this on my internet site and you have given me an idea. Thanks.
Thanks for this fantastic post, I am glad I detected this web site on yahoo.
Thanks for the auspicious writeup. It if truth be told was once a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! However, how could we be in contact?
Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your website, how could i subscribe for a blog website? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear concept
Rattling nice design and style and wonderful content , absolutely nothing else we want : D.
Simply wanna tell that this is extremely helpful, Thanks for taking your time to write this. “Truth is the summit of being justice is the application of it to affairs.” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
I got what you mean , thankyou for posting .Woh I am glad to find this website through google. “Remember that what you believe will depend very much on what you are.” by Noah Porter.
Thankyou for this marvelous post, I am glad I found this website on yahoo.
I conceive other website proprietors should take this web site as an example , very clean and good user pleasant style and design . “He who lives without folly isn’t so wise as he thinks.” by Francois de La Rochefoucauld.
Only wanna input that you have a very decent website , I the style and design it really stands out.
I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thanks again! “One never goes so far as when one doesn’t know where one is going.” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Thankyou for all your efforts that you have put in this. very interesting info . “Every man is the builder of a temple called his body.” by Henry David Thoreau.
Definitely consider that which you said. Your favourite reason seemed to be on the web the easiest factor to keep in mind of. I say to you, I definitely get irked at the same time as folks think about concerns that they plainly don’t realize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as smartly as outlined out the whole thing with no need side effect , other folks could take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thank you!
I like this blog very much so much wonderful info . “Probably the most distinctive characteristic of the successful politician is selective cowardice.” by Richard Harris.
Respect to post author, some great selective information . “When you cease to dream you cease to live.” by Malcolm Stevenson Forbes.
Appreciate it for this rattling post, I am glad I noticed this web site on yahoo.
Thanks for this tremendous post, I am glad I observed this web site on yahoo.
{ 4 trackbacks }