Steps to creating your Need Statement

Guest post by: Joe Dager
Become an Author

Free PDF Download
Evaluate your Customer Needs - By Joe Dager

The other day, I discussed Your Marketing Vision should define your Customer's Core Problem, but how do you go about doing it. A simple exercise that I found useful was depicted in the book: True Purpose: 12 Strategies for Discovering the Difference You Are Meant to Make by Tim Kelly. In the book, he discusses 12 proven methods to find the unique individual purpose that makes you, you. At the end of the book, he discusses how to create your own purpose statement. Much of this content was derived and re-purposed for the use of developing your Marketing Vision or Need Statement as I refer to it.

Stay away from editing it as much as possible, except for your grammar of course. You will water down the statement trying to appeal to everyone versus the segment you are actually marketing too. Do not worry about alienating anyone that is the purpose, discrimination in this sense is not bad! Tim says, "Remember that moving forward on your purpose means saying "no" to jobs, clients, and customers for whom your purpose is not appropriate. Therefore, your public purpose should be a simple and clear articulation in of what you do and who you do it for, in the most purposeful terms possible."

Steps to creating your Need Statement:

1. Write down the list of possible options you need to choose from.

2. For each option, write a list of pros and cons.

3. Read each statement and rate them by the most useful aspects of your product or service.

4. Ask for advice from salespeople, customers, dealers and other stakeholders within the marketing segment. It is best to read it out loud to a client, such as an elevator speech would be used. The worst thing you could do is to do this by yourself.

5. Weighing these factors make a choice. It does not even have to be the best choice, just the one you choose to live with.

6. Now, try it out. If a sample client "doesn't get it" then you may need to change the wording, not the meaning of the statement. If your statement inspires, you are ready for prime time.

7. If your sampling struggles with what you are offering, re-think your strategy going through these steps.

8. Re-read what others said about your offering.

9. Using what others said, brainstorm different ideas on how to say the message.

10. Now try different combination of the 2 list to come up with simple statements that describe what you do and for whom you do it for.

11. Read the statement out loud to others. See which one creates the most interest.

I may go one step further. Play telephone with a group of 4 to 5 people. The message that comes through the last person is more than likely the message that will get transmitted throughout the rest of your marketing process.

P.S. If you are getting ready to map that Customer starting point in your Value Stream Map, this is what you write in that little box with the sawtooth shape on top.

5 Keys to Your Personal Mission Statement

Is Your Vision 20/20?

Small Business Marketing - Making Use of a Mission Statement

Keep Your Bookkeeping Up To Date!

Your Personal Positioning Statement

How a Vision Statement Can Influence Your Business Success

How to Create a Compelling Vision for your Business

Develop Your Positioning Statements

How to Write Your Personal Mission/Vision Statement to Achieve Your Goals

Bookkeeping: Do you Pay From Invoice Or Statement

Accounting Basics

Business Vision Statement - 2 Steps

Six Things To Know When Starting A Consulting Business

Developing a VIsion Statement

Do We Really Need a Mission Statement?

What's Your Remarkable Point of View... R.POV8?

Positioning: The core of corporate communications

Individual Purpose Statements

Get Clear On What You Want

Personal Finance Planning

Home > Retail > Joe Dager > Steps to creating your Need Statement > Google +

Free PDF Download
Evaluate your Customer Needs - By Joe Dager

About the Author: Joe Dager

RSS for Joe's articles - Visit Joe's website
Joe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @
Web/Blog: Business901.com
Web/Blog: LinkedIn Profile
Follow me on Twitter
Click here to visit Joe's website.

More from Joe Dager
Effective SEO can comes cheap
Do you leave your Sales People control their destiny
Is your customer willing to pay for your marketing
Go to MoSCoW and improve your marketing Copy
Get Rid of Your Marketing Vision Statement and Address the NEED

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Steps to creating your Need Statement

Related Articles

Related Forum Posts

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.


Name:
Email: