Why is it Essential to Talk Directly with Your Customers? (Spoiler: It's Absolutely Vital!)

Your customer isn't just a line in Excel, they're a human with moods, likes, and dislikes! Behind every purchase click is a person with needs, frustrations, motivations... and frankly, nothing beats a good old-fashioned conversation to uncover these mysteries!

In this article, we'll see why talking with your customers is not only crucial but can completely transform your business (and yes, maybe even save your struggling startup!).

Why is Talking with Your Customers Essential?

1. Understanding Their Real Expectations

Let's face it: many companies define their offerings based on assumptions pulled from thin air. "I think my customers want X" is often very different from "My customers REALLY want Y".

Example: A cosmetics brand was convinced their audience bought their products for their ultra-pure organic formula. After some frank discussions with their customers, surprise! The most appreciated aspect was actually the texture that doesn't leave marks on clothes and the packaging that fits in a mini-purse.

Result? A complete overhaul of communication around these benefits and sales that took off faster than a SpaceX rocket!

2. Identifying Real Friction Points

Why does a prospect hesitate to pull out their credit card? Why did a once-loyal customer ghost you like a bad Tinder date? Instead of playing fortune teller or consulting your crystal ball, ask them directly!

Example: A SaaS company was convinced their subscribers were leaving because of high prices. By talking with them, they discovered the real problem was a very complex onboarding process. One simplified tutorial later, churn dropped by 40%. Who said conversations weren't profitable?

3. Building Trust

A customer who feels heard is a satisfied customer. Taking time to interact shows that you care about their customer experience.

Example: A clothing brand started regularly chatting with their customers via Instagram. Result: a more united community and positive customer feedback from customers.

What Questions to Ask During a Customer Interview?

Understanding Needs and Motivations

• What drove you to look for a product like ours?
• What problem are you trying to solve?
• How did you manage before using our solution?

Evaluating the Customer Experience

• What do you enjoy most about our product?
• What surprised you (pleasantly or not) during your use?
• Any difficulties encountered? The moment when you almost threw your computer out the window?

Analyzing the Purchase Process

• How did you discover our brand?
• What finally convinced you to buy?
• Did you hesitate before buying? If so, what were the barriers?

Anticipating Future Needs

• Is there a feature you'd dream of seeing added?
• What are your suggestions for improving our product?
• Would you recommend our brand to others?

How to Use These Exchanges to Boost Your Business?

Once these conversations are conducted, the important thing is to draw concrete actions from them, not just reports gathering dust on your virtual desk.

Refine your value proposition → Highlight what really excites your customers.

Optimize your customer journey → Eliminate friction points like you're doing a spring cleaning.

Boost your communication → Speak the same language as your customers. If they call your product "the magic thing," don't hesitate to use that expression!

Adapt your offerings → If everyone's asking for the same thing, maybe it's time to create a new (revolutionary, of course) offering.

Conclusion: The Customer is Your Best Guide

Talking with your customers is essential. These exchanges give you access to a goldmine of information that can transform your strategy and boost your offering to unexpected heights.

Use AI to Dialog with Your Persona

Artificial intelligence offers a new way to explore and understand your personas. Thanks to prompts adapted to each customer profile, AI can simulate realistic conversations, as if you had your ideal customer in front of you. This is particularly useful when you're having trouble getting direct customer feedback from your real customers.

The advantages of this approach:

• Quickly test different hypotheses
• Refine your understanding of the persona
• Anticipate potential objections
• Validate your marketing messages
• Save time in your customer research

At Persona Builder, we've integrated this feature directly into our platform. A simple click on the chat button allows you to engage in an enriching conversation with your persona. Ask all your questions and get valuable insights to advance your strategy, even without immediate customer feedback.

Watch the short video below to discover the option

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF5KzhpVIxw

Pro tip: Use these AI conversations as a complement to your traditional customer research, not as a replacement. The best results come from a combined approach.