It is day 5 in this little event and we are going to take yesterday’s solution exploring to find problems looking for our solution. In other words, who wants what you have?
You’ve done the solution/problem thing and come up with a list of problems only you can solve. So, take a closer look at the list, are there any common threads that could link a series of problems/solutions together? I’ll bet there are some common problems out there.
Well…for starters let’s look a few examples:
Lots of folks like to have art on their walls to make a room feel lived in so they would be looking for wall stuff but that’s a pretty wide open problem.
So step back and look at your work..
- Can it be used for walls?
- If so how?
- How would you show that it works ?
So to get a little specific…
Let’s say, you’re a paper maker and you want to start making specific mixes of paper that emphasize color and texture and you want to frame them large.
The problem your stuff solves
is not only linked to folks looking for wall art, it is also a solution for people looking for large and unique wall art that isn’t a painting or photograph.
You now have more information about who might buy your handmade paper wall art. You can stop here or go a little deeper…for now we’ll stop here.
Now, grab some paper and a pen and make a list of who might be looking for:
- Wall art in general
- Unique wall art
- Big wall art
- Wall art that is colorful
- Wall art of hand made paper
OK….
you now have a list of who might be interested in your work next, look at the list and star those those who:
- Might easily buy your stuff
- Might be open to your “outside the box” style
- Might share your vision
The Final Part
Take all of the information you have gathered so far about who might buy your stuff and build a profile of the ideal person you would like to have as a buyer. Think of it like this: “Who would I want to invite for dinner?”
- Give that person a name
- Give them an income
- Give them a dress code ( how do they dress?)
- Do they live in the city, the ‘burbs or the country?
- What are their values? Are they close to yours?
The ideal buyer for the paper artist might be:
- A mid to early career woman named Carlotta who works in design is single, owns a walkup in the city.
- She commutes to work by bike or bus because she is environmentally conscious.
- She also loves color and texture as reflected in the way she has decorated her flat.
- She highly values handmade work to the extent she tries to buy mostly work made by people she can actually get to know….
You get the drift keep going until you feel like you’ve written about your best friend.
Ok everyone. I am going to have to think on this a bit and things are crazy right now.... I am throwing it out there for you all to think about too and I will be back with some ideas! :D
