12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1)    Pick a segment. 

 I stayed in a nice hotel for work in New York, and I talked to a couple that was enjoying their honey moon, the concierge at the lobby to recommend some services, and my server at the restaurant.All these people enjoyed traveling, and once I talked to them they had the unmet need.

2)   Find three people who would fit that segment and arrange to interview them. 

The three interviews that I conducted were about 15 min, but it was more conversations with the people that I talked to, which had a better flow of information.

3)   Begin with need awareness. 

 In the first interview that I conducted, the newlyweds were happy to be there, their parents offered them the trip which included the hotel stay and the flight.They were thankful for the gift, but did not have time to organize their trip with business of the wedding. They would have preferred an itinerary that would be inspired from their preferences.

The second interview was with concierge at the hotel was all about resourcefulness. She describes to be about how she try to meet all the guests need, but once on vacation she wants to relax. So, she would want to be in the customer shoes without worrying about all the detail of the vacation planning.

The server that I talked to in my third interview went through a travel agent that sold him a package with the flight and hotel stay, with no recommendation what so ever. So he wanted some more customize service, tailored to his family needs.

4)   Move to information search. 

Interview #1: Goes to the concierge desk, and called them prior to their arrival.

Interview #2: Uses her colleagues and friends as a resource. 

Interview#3: Compares the prices online, but his travel agent is his main contact.

5)    Report the findings of your research. 

By conducting these interviews, I learned that the need exists and is unsolved. My business idea would solve the customer need. Customizing my product to each guest would be the key to gain their business.

6)    Draw conclusions

By researching in the segment, I gathered more information about my targeted customer.I have yet to figure out the logistic of the travel website to draw the customer to it.