Quick Tip For Choice Client Research: 100 Questions

Met the lovely and oh-so-fabulous Gina Ratliffe last night, who presented a workshop on the 23 steps of her Esther Experience homestudy system. Her talk was presented by the local chapter of Ladies Who Launch.

The workshop was 3 hours long, and she had only scratched the surface of what’s in her course (23 modules and the equivalent of 5 binders of step-by-step instruction – she was selling them in iPod-only format to save paper, love that).  Gina’s content was second-to-none (the lady knows how to overdeliver); two things really jumped out at me.

“My big mistake at the very beginning: I studied success more than my target market,” said Gina. Chew on that one for a while.

Gina also gave a wonderful exercise for going deep in your choice client research. Before studying a subject, Leonardo Da Vinci would make a list of 100 questions. Make a list of 100 questions about your choice clients. Include everything from emotional factors (hopes, dreams, fears, etc) to lots and lots of demographics. (Read more here about Leonardo’s 100 questions.)

My 2 cents: don’t overlook the importance of the magazines they read. Short of interviewing peeps (which you should always be doing), nothing gives you a real sense of what’s on their minds like their magazines. You’ll find subtle (and not so subtle) clues as to their thoughts, habits, patterns, beliefs… and it’s all seamlessly woven in, naturally and authentically.

One last bit of wisdom from Gina…

“In business, the only people whose opinions matter are:
a. The people who know more than you
b. The people who are contenders for plopping down their credit cards with you.”

Amen.

I’ll see Gina again soon at David Neagle’s Experience The Reality Of Success seminar next week.  Can’t wait!