It\u2019s a fact not a whole lot of people are aware of.<\/p>\n
But\u00a0half of all new business ventures<\/strong>\u00a0fail in their first 5 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n According to CBInsights the top reason is\u00a0No market need.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Translation: businesses don\u2019t know how to craft and vet a compelling business story that resonates with their market.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s as if founders fall in love with a product that is only connected to a nice-to-have problem nobody really cares to solve.<\/p>\n In our visual storytelling workshops, during our Story Making phase, we underscore the importance of clients vetting their customers’ core problems on several levels.<\/p>\n Building an authentic portrait of your top buyer persona profile requires:<\/p>\n 1)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0DIRECT interviews with customers, sales team, and partners to uncover their purchase decision process;<\/p>\n 2)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0INDIRECT social media research \u2013 to capture their hot topics, pain points, passions, and interests, including your competition.<\/p>\n This research is critical since your top buyer \u2013 like you \u2013 processes information on objective and subjective meaning levels.<\/p>\n Objective would carry the largest common ground with your customer segment, whereas subjective \u2013 is triggered by personal experiences and belief systems.<\/p>\n Moreover, your job as \u2013 the Chief Visual Storyteller \u2013 is to map out how your top buyer perceives the core problem your widget aims to solve.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll find that what your top buyer thinks, feels, does and says \u2013 is not always in sync.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the direct and indirect research tactics are super important.<\/p>\n Yes, it requires investing more field work but it\u2019s worth it!<\/p>\n Because the closest you can get to standing in your buyer\u2019s shoes the more chances your story will authentically mirror her problem.<\/p>\n Your goal is to make your story feels as if it\u2019s your buyer\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>story<\/strong>, NOT YOURS.<\/strong><\/p>\n “Wow! This [problem] just happened to me last week and that was exactly why I was so frustrated. This {widget} is exactly what I need to get this {problem} out of the way”<\/em>\u00a0should be your buyer’s imaginary thought bubble after consuming your visual story.<\/strong><\/p>\n What do you think? How are you vetting your customer\u2019s problem? What learnings are your finding? Feel free to drop me a note.<\/p>\n ****<\/p>\n