These days I’m learning about choosing a market for building a product and all the different ways that can be done. This might not appeal to you directly, but bear with me, it’ll relate to how you can use what I’m learning to help yourself as well.
Market Research
I’ve long been an advocate for choosing a niche market. I even did that with my blog and you’re likely in it. But I’ve never done something like I’m embarking upon these days. For the longest time, I’ve designed websites for companies and built a few to solve problems in industries. (BookLaunchPlace.com is one of them)
But I’ve never built an actual product before that digs deep into an industry, finds a pain, and solves it. That is my quest these days.
As it turns out, market research is a pain. Well, it’s sort-of fun, but mostly just time consuming and you have to go in not knowing what you’re looking for. And that’s hard for most of us. We want to know what we’re looking for when we go looking for it. At least I do.
But market research to determine a need means that you have to go in search of a need without having one in mind. Because if you have one in mind, you’ll find all kinds of things that point you in that direction. And it might not be a need that someone would buy which pretty much puts the nail in the coffin for your product before you create it.
Confusing huh?
What I’m Learning
I’m learning how to ask questions that aren’t leading. Ones that don’t suggest an answer to the person I’m talking to. Which is surprisingly difficult.
My theory is that you need to ask less leading questions too. Whether it’s writing a blog post, a book, building a website or anything else, we have to understand that we can’t assume what the person on the other end is after. The moment we do that, we begin to lead them down the path we have chosen for them.
So in my quest for determining what exactly it is I’m going to be building, I’d like to invite you to take up your own quest. What are you doing these days that market research would help determine the need you can solve? Or, even simpler, what quests are you embarking on these days?
Peace. Out.
This is clearly the right approach, Jared. I have assumptions of what folks want when it comes to career help, but could be completely wrong. Sounds like I need to do some research of my own!
Certainly couldn’t hurt 😀
Asking open questions is a great place to start with market research. And it’s tough to keep an open mind and not allow assumptions on what your audience want to stand in the way. This has definitely happened with me.
My quest is to learn a lot about copywriting and pass the knowledge onto the audience of my site. And my clients. So I’m learning, and so are they!
Good idea for sure. Make sure you’re actually reaching that audience and that the way you’re presenting it is what they are looking for. I’ve been surprised at how specific an audience can get!
Yep, the market research is the challenging part. I used to find myself writing books and then looking for the audience- I’ve gotten a tad smarter and started talking to people- asking the open ended questions. I still feel like a fish out of water when I bring the product to market but its getting better 🙂
Asking open questions is a key skill, and like you say can be surprisingly difficult to do. It’s a practice I’ve gotten acquainted through my work. The thing that gets you about it, when you do it well, you find yourself learning as much about yourself as you do about the other person. It’s definitely a good and effective way to go, and just a far more fun way to have conversations too.