Hey there,
For years, I thought doing research on my offer meant needing a PhD. So I skipped it.
Instead, I'd send my landing pages and pitch decks to friends, asking what they thought.
But because none of them had ever experienced the problems I solved, I'd not get surface-level suggestions about copy and colors, but most were completely contradictory.
I’d implement what I could because it was free, fast, and felt productive. But in reality, it was the most expensive "free" advice, and 100% counter-productive.
Today I’m covering what I do now instead, and a simple framework you can use to get buyer insights that convert.
You're tuning to the wrong frequency
If my opening story hit for you, the problem is that we too often listen to peers, friends, and online communities instead of the people who actually have the problem and the budget to solve it.
And it makes sense why. Getting feedback from peers is easy. It feels like progress.
You post in a Slack community or mastermind group, and within hours you've got 12 people telling you what they'd change.
But almost none of them is your ICP.
They don't have the problem you solve. They haven't felt the pain that drives someone to pay $15K or $50K for help. They're doing their best conversion copywriter impression - riffing on headlines and word choices - when the real issue is whether your offer speaks to a problem someone is desperate to fix.
I watched this happen to a brand strategist I work with.
She dropped her offer into one of her marketing communities and asked for feedback. She got back 10 competing ideas that pulled her way off-center.
She ran with a few of them, and lost every resulting sales call for the next 3 weeks.
She'd rebuilt her offer around what impressed other marketers instead of what resonated with actual buyers.
That's the trap. Peer feedback gives you false positives of progress. ICP feedback give you offers that sell.
Ask buyers, not bystanders
Instead of asking "What do you think of my offer?" to anyone who will listen, start having real conversations with people who've lived the problem you solve.
Forget surveys and polls. Go with actual conversations.
I know what you're thinking. "I don't have time for that" or "I wouldn't know what to ask."
Spending two hours to save yourself months or years is no-brainer time ROI.
And here's exactly what to ask…
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