Step 3: Your Customers

What’s on their mind?

Key for a successful business model is to take the perspective of the client as a starting point. How well do you actually know your target group? And how many ‘subgroups’ are there in your target group? If you know their joys and worries, it is easier to connect and know what the real need for help or guidance is. And also: how relevant would your product or service be for them?

A lot of organisations develop projects based on assumptions on what people need. But if you don’t test your assumptions, you never really know if your project is adding value to the lives of the people you serve.

But how do you get to the perspective of the client and check your assumptions? Firstly: diversify and choose your customer segment. The more you specify different customer segments with a specific need, the more demand-orientated you can work. This is how you get to the perspective of the client: talk to them. Ask them what is on their mind and what would really help them. Check your assumptions. A tool to do this is The Customer Empathy Map. (see following download)

How does the customer empathy map work:

1. In this tool you first take in mind a representative of your first customer segment. In our example this could be: Erima, living in Abudja region, from a poor family, 22 years of age, female.
2. Then fill in all of your assumptions you have about this person on 4 areas: What does she feel, see, say & do and what does she hear regarding to the problem you are solving with this project – more self-confidence and creating employment? Try to get into the mind of your potential customer.
3. Then you fill in your assumptions on the fields: pains and gains. What is bothering her and what gives her joy regarding the topic of your project?
4. After filling in every field of the customer empathy map, you contact the girl Erima, or one or more representatives of your project. Talk to them and discuss whether your assumptions are correct. And if not, change it on your customer empathy map.

The outcome of this exercise is very important input for your Business Model Canvas in the field: Value proposition. Because it answers the question: what troubles the potential customer, and how can we help solving this? 

Customer empathy map
It is good to remember, that sometimes your target group is not yet ready for your solution, or did not even really think about it as an option. As Henry Ford (founder of Ford cars) said around the year 1900: :"If I would have asked my customers what they would want, they would have said: a faster horse". So always keep in mind to look for a ‘healthy view’ on the needs of your target group. Sometimes you can open eyes and people would say afterwards: I did not know I needed that product/service.