Stop thinking about who needs your product or service.

Let’s face it–just because someone needs your service, doesn’t mean they’re going to buy it.
I wish I had a dime for every time people talked about educating prospects–especially when I was in the coaching world. “If we just teach them what coaching is, and what it can do, people will sign up for it.”

Everyone knows someone who seriously needs to lose weight. They know it’s affecting their health, as doctors and loved ones frequently remind them. And it some cases, it may even be a matter of life or death. But they’re not going to do it until they want to do it. Until they value their health enough to make it a time and perhaps even financial priority.

I’m certainly not judging them because all of us have things we know we should do but don’t. The point is that knowing does not necessarily translate into action–even when the consequences can be tragic. Just ask any life insurance salesperson.

But this is why “educating” prospects about why they need your services is a losing proposition for most businesses. Occasionally, you’ll get lucky, but most of the time you’re wasting your time.

Instead, you can save a lot of your own time and money if you go fishing where the hungry fish are–where prospects already value your services and are ready to invest the time or money to act.

In general, a customer passes through four stages before they buy:

Awareness
Interest
Desire
Action

Wouldn’t you rather have prospects who are already in the Interest or Desire phase?

So where do you find the hungry fish–the ones who both need and want your services and are willing to pay for them? Start by looking for prospects who…

Buy similar services from someone else. You’d be amazed how many people–especially business prospects–stick with a current vendor because they don’t have time to hunt down a better one. Now it’s just a matter of showing that you’re better–such as having specialized experience they will appreciate or a faster delivery schedule.

Constantly need your services. What types of businesses or people are heavy users of your services? Odds are good that they’ll need a new or an additional provider. Pharmaceutical sales people frequently provide lunch for doctors’ offices–making them a great target for caterers. Building management companies may need several janitorial services to handle all their properties.

Experience (directly or indirectly) a triggering event. If a plumber replaces a busted water heater in a neighborhood of homes built 10 years ago, he’d be smart to distribute flyers letting other homeowners know they too may come home to a flooded basement someday soon, and offering them a special check-up or pre-breakdown replacement special.

Experience a relevant life event. People often buy life insurance when they get married or have kids. Parents often start thinking about college in the sophomore or junior year of high school. Women who get divorced often need a new financial advisor.

Attend classes or conferences in your topic area. Often, people do intending to do it themselves, then decide it’s better to hire someone else when they see how complicated it is or how much time it’s going to take. But try to find out who the typical attendee is ahead of time–if it’s mostly start-up companies or wannabe entrepreneurs they may not have the means to outsource it.

Bought from you in the past. They may not be immediately hungry for your services, but it’s good to know how often clients typically need more services from you. Hopefully, you’re already staying in touch with them, but plan to reach out in a different way when that time nears. For example, a smart car salesperson would call customers who bought a car three to five years ago. Corporate clients often start planning expenses for the new budget year in the fourth quarter.

In short, you’ll get clients much faster and more effectively if you go where you know the fish are hungry for your services, instead of trying to convince all the other fish they’re hungry.