How a 1943 Framework Can Help You Understand Your Customers Today
Rewind to 1943 with the backdrop of World War II, and American psychologist and philosopher Abraham H. Maslow was pondering this:
It is quite true that man lives by bread alone — when there is no bread. But what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically filled?
Maslow, known for the hierarchy of needs model, argued that humans must have basic needs met in order to achieve the fulfillment of one’s highest potential. This model, famously represented as a pyramid (even though he never did show it as such) appears in countless psychology articles and books, diving deep into the understanding of our very own human motivations.
Here’s the cool thing — you can take a high-level view of the 5 steps from this framework to help you get to know your customers better.
It offers a brand new way to view what their pain points and desires are.
It humanizes them in a way where other segmentation tactics or demographics fall short.
And beyond understanding, this approach allows you to map how your products and services help your customer achieve the higher levels of desired status. You can validate the value you provide tied to a very human psychological need.
Your future customers need what you offer to achieve a better version of themselves!
Want the cliff notes? Scan the “answer these questions” and fill them out for your customers. Pay attention to the answers you provide for question three in each segment. This is your secret sauce!
Starting from the Bottom — Physiological Needs
Physiological Needs: air, water, food, shelter, clothing, reproduction, etc.
You literally cannot survive without these basic needs. The parallel to the business world is to understand what folks are doing in your industry when they are just getting by, they’re barely in business. They are missing out on a better life, because they are not using your products and services. They are just making ends meet, or they have a behavior which is hurting their potential. They are barely keeping their business afloat.
Answer these questions
- For your industry, what is the corollary of “air, food, water” — what are the basic things your customers must have to even be in business?
- What “bad” behaviors or beliefs do they have about the world, your industry etc. because they don’t have their basic needs met?
- What is it about how they are living today that would change if they were to start using your product or service?
Rise on Up — Safety Needs
Safety Needs: personal security, employment, resources, health, property
We’ve now moved out of survival mode and are actually feeling the beginning of stability (i.e. cash flow for your customer). Because they have started using your products and services, the worry has gone away from looking at every statement and wondering what tomorrow holds. Money is coming into the bank. They can start to strategize, formulate a true plan. Business growth can start to happen and your customers can start looking at running their business the way they want to run it. Because of what you offer, you have enabled your customer to start feeling the benefit of some financial freedom.
Answer these questions
- What are the first things your customers will do when they have a little bit of cash flow coming in?
- What does “running my business my way” mean for your customers?
- What specifically about your product will allow them to gain that first bit of financial freedom within the first 30, 60, 90 days of using your product?
Feeling Connected — Love & Belonging
Love & Belonging: friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection
It’s no longer about the day-to-day working in the business, your customer is working on the business now. They have established their business plan and are executing against it. They’ve opened up and set their sights on goals and dreams that are not necessarily tied to their business. They want to spend more time with their family, or retire the way they deserve. They feel connected to the community that they serve and feel connected to the purpose of their work.
Answer these questions
- What was the reason your customer got into business in the first place and in what ways do they feel more connected to that reason now?
- What does it mean for them to be able to spend more time with their families, or connect with their community, or have a little more freedom with their time? (Asked another way, what would your customer be doing with their time if they were not in business?)
- What about your product or service enables your customer to save time in the day-to-day?
Status Symbol — Esteem
Esteem: respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, freedom
Your customer is being recognized for their uniqueness, their contribution, their success. And guess what — you’ve been tirelessly working and guiding them along the way. They’re able to achieve this success because of the foundation you have provided with your products and services. So far, they have surpassed the day-to-day, achieved financial freedom, even earned some much needed “free time.” Now they reach a certain level of status — they have creative freedom to do their work their way, and their customers love them.
Answer these questions
- What is the uniqueness factor that your customer’s are pining for? What is the thing that is going to get them recognized in a crowded field?
- What is the one review/testimonial that if your customer received, they would gush over?
- How can you position yourself as the guide that is facilitating the results that your customer desires?
Ultimate Purpose — Self Actualization
Self Actualization: achieve full potential, purpose, achieving full potential
This is the dream, your customer has reached the pinnacle of success defined not by the execution of their business plan, but because they are making a difference. They are the person they want to be. They are making the contribution they want to make. At some point along the way, when your customer set out to create a business, they were guided by the vision of the world they wanted to live in. They had a mission. They had guiding core values. At this stage, they are now seeing the result of that mission being accomplished — they are seeing the world move closer to that original vision. And, because they had a strong set of guiding core values, along with the guidance you have provided, they are able to achieve their purpose and full potential.
Answer these questions
- How does your customer describe the desired version of themselves? What word, characteristics, sentiment etc. are associated with the person they want to be?
- What are the mission, vision, and core values of your customer? What is the world they want to be living in? What impact does your customer want to have? How can your customer give back in a meaningful way to their community?
- How can you align your mission, vision, and core values to that of your customer’s to help support them along their desire to become the best that they can be?
Putting it all Together
I’ve taken the liberty of showing the framework left to right because this more accurately matches the journey of your customer. In fact, seen in this way, it’s a brand new value ladder where the result is not strictly the value you provide, but rather the value you enable within your customer because of what you offer.