If you're running a wildly successful business then you'll be solving lots of your customers' problems. Problems that have acquired a sufficient status in their lives that they're willing to attribute a value to their solution.

If you're running a rather more modest, 'ho-hum' sort of business, still dreaming of wild success, then there is a number of possibilities:

• You have a good solution to your customers' problems, but your marketing isn't as good as it ought to be.
• You're solving the right problems for your customers, but actually you're not doing it as well as your competition - your offering just isn't technically that good.
• You have a solution to problems that your customers (by and large) simply don't have (or don't recognise they have).

Of course, none of these possibilities is mutually exclusive, which just goes to add to the general confusion that exists in getting a successful business off the ground and keeping it flying over the long term.

1. Good solution - poor marketing
The subject of entire books, blogs, websites - in fact people dedicate their entire lives to improving marketing - Chris Cardell of the UK being one such person. I write on this subject from time to time in other CDCD's, so I'm not to to say anymore in this particular broadcast.

2. Correct problem - poor product
Again, not too much to be said here, apart from, "sort yourself out, sunshine and make something decent". It's important to realise that people's expectations are rising rapidly. People expect decent stuff. Just try buying a new car nowadays without central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors, air conditioning, and all those other things that a few years ago were considered luxury items and were consequently charged for as 'optional extras'. If you produce poor product and have good marketing you'll sell some of your stuff for sure, but you won't get any repeat customers (and bad news spreads faster than good news).

3. Wrong problem
If you're solving the wrong problem - i.e. one that your customers either don't have, don't know they have - then the quality of your product and the quality of your marketing is largely of academic interest. Your business is doomed - pure and simple.

How then do you know what problems your customers are experiencing? There are two basic approaches to answering this question:

1. Ask them (specifically and individually). Conduct surveys, either on-line, in person, by telephone, e-mail, in print, whatever - the key point is that you ask existing customers what their issues are. If you have a really good relationship with your customers, it's amazing what they'll tell you. After all, this stuff is hurting them and if you've helped them in the past, the chances are that they may well trust you to help them in the future too.

2. Research the market in general terms. Rather than asking specific people, conduct some generalised research - something that's so much easier and cheaper for small businesses with the advent of the internet and development of search engines - Google in particular. Here's a really quick way to do some initial 'gross-cut' research:

Enter 'keyword tool' into the Google search box

You'll get a page of returns and at the top (most probably) will be Google's own AdWords Keyword Tool. This is the one you want. (You'll also see links to Google's 'search-based keyword tool' and although this is useful too, you need a Google account to access it and overall it's a bit more bother to get started).

Once you have the AdWords Keyword Tool open, enter terms as simple and as broad as:

• How do I
• Where can I get
• What do I need

You will be amazed at the responses you get - and remember - these are real problems that people are struggling with. Identify some close to the heart of your business and go solve those - stuff you know people need right now.

That's what lies at the heart of a wildly successful business. It's not luck. Luck has nothing to do with it. It's diligent application and hard graft.

Get on with it.

As usual, please do keep in touch and send me your thoughts, comments and questions directly.

Best wishes to all.

Chris Davidson
Editor, Professional Speakers Journal
editor@professionalspeakersjournal.com