Next time you sit down to write an email or sales letter selling a product, wouldn't it be great to have your prospects' very words that you can then use to sell them?
Pain points are those lines you find in emails and on forums where the customer is telling you exactly what is wrong. In fact, you might even think of them as cries for help, because they're in essence telling you exactly where it hurts and why.
By collecting these pain points you will know what they want and how to give it to them. And by using their own words you'll build rapport and establish trust because you sound just like them.
Here are some example pain points I gathered from an Internet marketing forum today:
“I've spent thousands and as yet I haven't made my first dollar.”
“Every time I think I've got it right and I start making money, it just fizzles and I don't know why.”
“I can't seem to get started and I don't know why.”
“I sent out 124 emails, each tailored to the recipient, and I haven't had one person agree to do a JV with me.”
“I think I have marketing ADD – I can't get focused.”
“I've been working this system for 4 hours a day for a week, and I only just now made my first sale. $11.21 profit. I sure hope this gets better.”
“I just can't seem to stick to one thing because every new thing seems better than what I'm currently doing.”
“I've written nearly a hundred articles and I'm just not seeing much traffic and no sales yet.”
And forums aren't the only place to find these pain points. You can also go to Twitter and search using formulas like these:
[your keyword(s)] mad – http
[your keyword(s)] frustrated – http
[your keyword(s)] help – http
So if your topic is making money or marketing, simply insert it where it says [your keyword(s)] This should give you plenty to get started. And remember to hit the forums – they're a pain point goldmine.