A pain point is a specific problem that prospective customers of your business are experiencing. In other words, you can think of pain points as problems, plain and simple. Like any problem, customer pain points are as diverse and varied as your prospective customers themselves. However, not all prospects will be aware of the pain point they’re experiencing, which can make marketing to these individuals difficult as you effectively have to help your prospects realize they have a problem and convince them that your product or service will help solve it.
Although you can think of pain points as simple problems, they are often grouped into several broader categories. Here are the four main types of pain points:
I. Financial Pain Points: Your prospects are spending too much money on their current provider/solution/products and want to reduce their spend
II. Productivity Pain Points: Your prospects are wasting too much time using their current provider/solution/products or want to use their time more efficiently
III. Process Pain Points: Your prospects want to improve internal processes, such as assigning leads to sales reps or nurturing lower-priority leads
IV. Support Pain Points: Your prospects aren’t receiving the support they need at critical stages of the customer journey or sales process
Viewing customer pain points in these categories allows you to start thinking about how to position your company or product as a solution to your prospects’ problems, and what is needed to keep them happy. For example, if your prospects’ pain points are primarily financial, you could highlight the features of your product within the context of a lower monthly subscription plan, or emphasize the increased ROI your satisfied customers experience after becoming a client.
However, while this method of categorization is a good start, it is not as simple as identifying price as a pain point before pointing out that your product or service is cheaper than the competition. Many prospective customers’ problems are layered and complex, and may combine issues from several of our categories above. That’s why you need to view your customers’ pain points holistically and present your company as a solution to not just one particularly problematic pain point, but as a trusted partner that can help solve a variety of problems.
Unfortunately, there is no magic set of questions designed to make pain point discovery the same across all industries. The types of questions you ask will vary by business, target audience and individual. Every conversation is different.
What you can do, however, is get into the habit of asking focused, open-ended questions. These are not only perfect conversation starters, but they also allow for a more open and mutually beneficial discussion. Consider the differences in the following real estate examples:
I. Leading question: “Don’t you just love the Victorian style?”
II. Open-ended question: “What do you think of the property?”
The first question not only limits the conversation to Victorian homes but also exposes how you feel about them and how you expect the client to respond. If you really want to focus the discussion on Victorian style homes, try a more neutral question, like, “How do you feel about Victorian homes?”
The second question shows no bias. It allows the client to comment on the property as a whole and pinpoint specific likes and dislikes. For example, the client may be thrilled with the curb side appeal while being disappointed with the limited closet space.
By leaving the question open-ended, you create an opportunity for learning. Therefore, clients can think and converse more freely, and they often learn as much from the discussion as you do, identifying pain points they did not even realize existed. This helps create a sense of urgency and a willingness to accept your expert advice. But you can try these following questions for a change:
1. “What is the biggest challenge you’re currently facing?”: This is a conversation starter, a question that just scratches the surface of the pain as the client feels it. It is designed to get the client talking. You do not know exactly where the conversation will go, but you know you are going to learn something new.
2. “What happens if the pain is left unchecked?”: Once you have identified a pain point, it helps to know what kind of havoc it is wreaking on the customer. Is it costing them time and money on the job or just putting a damper on their online reputation? This type of question helps you assess the risks of doing nothing against the benefits of making a change. It also gives insight into the client’s motivations for wanting to make changes.
3. “What has prevented you from relieving the pain?”: This question not only helps you identify the potential obstacles a client is facing, but also the past and present solutions they’ve used to address the problem. If they have tried other solutions, you have an opportunity to follow up and ask about those experiences, what went wrong and what the client would have changed. Knowing the history can help you pinpoint a better alternative.
4. “How would putting a new system in place solve the problem?”: You may have the perfect solution to the client’s problem, but if their expectations aren’t realistic, they may never be happy with the results. This question is about gauging and setting expectations.
5. “We’ve found that X is a common source of pain for our customers. How do you feel about it?”: Some people have a problem with pain point discovery, and they could use your guidance. They may have gotten so used to dealing with pain, they do not feel it the same way anymore. This type of question helps by providing a frame of reference for the client. You are not trying to sell them anything or lead them to a specific topic. Instead, you are offering up a topic of conversation and allowing them to open about their unique problems in relation to a known pain point.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath