Not Everyone is Your Customer
You have found a problem worth solving. Great! But here is the hard truth: not everyone who has the problem will pay for your solution.
A customer is not just someone with a problem. A customer is someone who:
- •Has the problem you are solving
- •Knows they have the problem
- •Wants a solution
- •Can pay for the solution
- •Will pay for your specific solution
All five conditions must be true. Miss any one, and you do not have a customer yet.
What People Say vs What They Pay For
Here is something surprising: what people say they want is often different from what they actually pay for.
Ask people what they want, and they might say:
- •"I want to eat healthy food."
- •"I want to exercise more."
- •"I want to read more books."
But watch what they actually spend money on:
- •Fast food and snacks
- •Streaming services for movies
- •Mobile games
People's wallets reveal their true priorities. Do not build a business based on what people say. Build it based on what they actually do and pay for.
Needs vs Wants
People pay for both needs and wants, but they behave differently:
Needs
- • Food, shelter, basic clothing
- • Healthcare, education basics
- • People will pay, but resist high prices
- • They compare options carefully
- • Price matters a lot
Wants
- • Fashion, entertainment, status
- • Convenience, luxury, pleasure
- • People will pay more for something special
- • Emotions drive decisions
- • Experience matters more than price
Here is an interesting fact: people often spend more on wants than needs. Someone might bargain hard for vegetables but happily pay full price for a trendy shirt.
Both needs and wants create business opportunities. But understand which one you are serving—it changes how you price and sell.
Finding People Who Value What You Offer
The same solution has different value to different people. Consider a tutoring service:
- •To a student who is failing: extremely valuable
- •To a student who is already top of class: less valuable
- •To wealthy parents who want the best: very valuable
- •To families with limited income: valuable but expensive
Smart businesses find the people who value their solution most. These people will pay willingly and appreciate what you do.
Trying to sell to everyone often means selling to no one. Better to delight a smaller group than disappoint a larger one.
The Art of Understanding Others
To find your customers, you must understand how they think. This means:
- •Talk to them: Ask about their problems, frustrations, and what they have tried
- •Watch them: Observe what they do, not just what they say
- •Walk in their shoes: Experience their problem yourself if possible
- •Ask about money: What have they already paid for similar solutions?
Many businesses fail because the founder assumed they understood customers without actually talking to them. Do not make this mistake.
The best businesspeople are often great listeners. They understand others deeply before they try to sell anything.
Ancient Wisdom: Thirukkural on Understanding Others
Thiruvalluvar, the ancient Tamil poet, understood that knowing others is the key to all success:
"அறிவுடையார் எல்லாம் உடையார் அறிவிலார்
என்னுடைய ரேனும் இலர்."
Meaning: "The wise possess everything; the ignorant, though they may own much, have nothing." (Kural 430)
In modern terms: Understanding is worth more than possessions. A business built on deep understanding of customers will succeed. A business built on assumptions, no matter how well funded, will struggle. Seek to understand before seeking to sell.
Key Takeaways
- ✓A customer has the problem, knows it, wants a solution, can pay, and will pay for yours
- ✓What people say they want is often different from what they actually pay for
- ✓People buy both needs and wants, but behave differently for each
- ✓Find people who value your solution highly, not everyone with the problem
- ✓Talk to and observe potential customers before building anything
Reflection Question
Think about something you bought recently that you did not strictly need. Why did you buy it? What made it worth the money to you? Would everyone value it the same way?
There is no right answer. The point is to understand how you make buying decisions—this helps you understand how others make them too.