Most entrepreneurs have customer research backwards.
They survey random people about hypothetical purchases. They ask friends and family what they think of their product idea. They create focus groups filled with people who have never spent a dollar in their category.
Then they wonder why their marketing doesn’t work and their products don’t sell.
Richelle DeVoe has a better way. As a customer research expert who has generated millions in revenue for her clients, DeVoe knows that the best insights don’t come from potential customers — they come from people who have already taken the action you want your customers to take.
“You want to find somebody who has done the thing that you want them to do already,” DeVoe says. “Not somebody who is the potential, but somebody who has actually already done the thing.”
For example: If you sell coaching services, don’t talk to people who might want a coach. Talk to people who already hired a coach — to understand exactly what drove that decision, and how you can target people exactly like them.
That way, instead of guessing at motivations, you’re uncovering the real reasons people buy.
Here’s how to do it.
Why This Approach Works
Here’s the problem with traditional market research: It’s based on what people say they want, not what they actually do. And there’s a massive gap between the two.
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