What people want????????

I keep hearing that you should learn what people want .....then give it to them .It seems to make sense.My question is this.How or where can you possible learn what people are looking for ?It's probably simple but I can't seem to figure it out on my own.Thanks for any help with this.
JCN

One way to do it...

Watch the forums you visit. See what questions are being asked. Find a way that you can build a product that provides the solution to these needs.

Pete

[MMacGillivray]

In addition, you can check out http://pulse.ebay.com to find out the kind of things that are hot on ebay

http://www.shopping.com/top_searches shows the Consumer Demand Index for a range of products.

I'm sure there will be more answers too!

Best
M

Wherever you hangout...

Listen carefully to what People are Talking about... And Don't be afraid to Ask lots of Questions...

Cafes, Hair businesses, Seniors... Laundromats, Libraries...

Big Box bookstore retailers... Supermarkets... News... Trend watching... Hot Topics...

You'd be Surprised at what you can Learn & Take home with you by Networking with consumers & businesses... Information that is...

Brainstorm while you sleep...

Think... Social networks and People of like interests...

Use Research resources... Long tail keyword phrases... Educate yourself on Keywords, Search numbers and other Consumer data...

Here's a few of my favorites... Excellent links & resources to Start out with...

Great examples of Quality content and Pre-selling by a few well known Affiliate marketers...

http://www.robsblog.co.uk/long-tail-cash/
http://www.robsblog.co.uk/37-niche-m...st-know-about/
http://www.associateprograms.com/art...-niche-website

http://www.seoprotoolz.com/profitabl...der_10_minutes
http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-too...book/index.php
http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html

Phil

[GordonJ]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I keep hearing that you should learn what people want .....then give it to them .JCN

In the "Copywriter's Checklist", found at www.incomeandhappiness.com and available for 7 bux...

is a list of what people want. That list has been used to sell over a billion dollars worth of products and services...so that might be on good place to start...a trip to the library to look at SRDS book of lists, to see exactly what people are BUYING.

On-line do a google search for list finder, mailing lists, lists, etc.

You'll find this one http://listfinder.directmag.com/ and you can browse through lists of buyers... and pay these sites a visit too

http://www.the-dma.org/index.php

http://www.marigoldtech.com/

http://lists.nextmark.com/

And then do a search for list brokers, list managers...I think the physical SRDS found at most larger libraries is a good place to find what people buy...but online, most of the list selling sites work. Nextmark has an easy to use interface as does directmag.

An hour or two looking over lists of BUYERS, will tell you people really want.

gjabiz

JCN,

Thanks for asking how to know what people want.

A basic list could be...

More time, kudos, blah blah blah. You can probably find such lists online for free http://www.doyletics.com/index10.htm. And while OK, they don't help You too much come up with anything better.

So start with this...

People want Solutions to Problems. And when I say "problems" I mean, problems they are Already Concerned About, not what you Think they Should be concerned about.

Take a look around your home. The humble calculator is a Solution to a Problem. Your Cutlery is a Solution to a Problem. A pencil is a solution to a problem.

All "how to do X" are solutions to problems. How to play the guitar, recipe books, how to make a video DVD, etc.

Often, these problems are cyclical. Each year as we get into Summer sales of air conditioners soar. As winter arrives electric blanket sales take off. See the cycles in the Walmart, KMart, Target catalogs.

What problems do You buy solutions for? Think other people might have the same problems?

Here's an example of a problem... most people would miss the Opportunity here...

So this guy in the fish and chip shop is cleaning the oil on one of his vats. If you've ever worked at MacDonald's and done such a thing you know how Yuck it is. He tells me, he does it himself because there is no-one around to do it for him. Also, he has to do it often as he can only get the lower oil and not the Good oil due to supply - the supplier doesn't supply the good oil to his location. He has two problems. Solutions are...

1: Offer a Mobile Oil Cleaning Service.

2: Become a Distributor for the Good Oil. Once a week/month travel to the Supplier and pick up a bunch to distribute later.

3: Visit other towns also with those same problems - similar towns have similar problems - and ask the same shop owners if they have the same problems.

===

A complaint is a problem begging for a solution.

Supermarkets sell solutions to problems - boot polish, socks, hairspray, shoe laces, needle and thread.

===

All companies Buy supplies. Those supplies is what THEY are looking for. You find some first, at a cheaper price with good quality, and could make a sale to Those companies.

DVD/CD duplicating businesses have to buy their DVDs and CDs and Plastic cases from somewhere, don't they?

Hope this helps,

Michael Ross
www.hotsheetcity.com - where you find solutions to problems

I like to look in places where people have "already" shown a great interest in "what they want"...by purchasing with their hard-earned money.

I used to subscribe to Standard Rate & Data to see what lists were available of people who actually bought products.

I'll never forget the list I saw for a product that was a small plastic figure of a very fat Buddha. The ad read; "Rub The Buddha's Tummy for Money! send $7 to box...." When I looked at how many names were available of ACTUAL buyers of this thing...I stared in amazement when I saw the number, 3,720,000. So, this told me MILLIONS were interested in "Magic Trinkets" to help them "get" money.

Nowadays I check 2 sources of actual BUYERS;
1) http://pulse.ebay.com
Click around in there to see what are the TOP SELLERS in various categories
2) Amazon..."Movers & Shakers List" and their "Best Sellers List".

These give me an idea of WHAT people are willing to buy...nowadays.

Don Alm

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I keep hearing that you should learn what people want .....then give it to them .It seems to make sense.My question is this.How or where can you possible learn what people are looking for ?It's probably simple but I can't seem to figure it out on my own.Thanks for any help with this.
JCN

Hi JCN,

What I would do first is narrow it down to a specific group of people. For example, instead of asking "what do people want?" (which is extremely broad), I'd ask something more along the lines of...

• what do accountants want?
• what do college students want?
• what do first-time mothers want?
• what do recent retirees in Pennsylvania want?

See what I mean?

That is, I'd first narrow it down to a "sub-group" of people. Then, find out what they want...

How do you find out what they want?

One way is to be a member of that sub-group. For example, if you are a college student, then you can ask yourself - what, as a college student, do I want that isn't available already? Or, what problems do I have that are not being adequately addressed? Then, you can ask fellow college students to see if they feel the same way...

Another way is to do a survey of members of the sub-group you've chosen. Or, alternatively, do an "informal" survey, by getting to know many members of the sub-group, and just chat to them about what it is they're unsatisfied with, or problems they have which they don't have a solution for... You may uncover something that could lead to a successful business!

Hope that helps!

Dien