They say everyone has a weak spot. But no one wants to talk about it. They'd rather not even see it. And it's not just people. Imagine all those huge markets packed with all kinds of goods. One better than the other. At least that's what they look like. Not many people want it. Customers aren't flocking. Why is that? Even what companies sell has weaknesses that discourage potential customers and force them to look elsewhere for alternatives.
If you know your weak point, or rather the weak point of what you offer and what you do business with, you are half a winner. You can start doing something about it immediately. But if you're missing your weakness, you need to find it first. And that's what my article today is for, where we'll look at how to easily identify the problems and annoyances customers encounter when using your products or services.
We will use another tool of the Blue Ocean strategy - the buyer utility map. Let's do it.
What is a buyer's utility map
The buyer utility map is another tool proposed by Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, along with the value innovation and value curve. It helps companies systematically explore how and where their products or services can better meet buyers' needs. It gives a clear picture of where and why current or potential customers are experiencing discomfort. And it also shows what deters them from buying. With a utility map, you can turn any weaknesses into opportunities for growth. And turn a potential prospect into a paying customer.
The whole concept of a buyer's utility map is based on two key concepts - utility and barriers to utility:
Utility refers to the satisfaction or benefit customers get from using your product or service.
Barriers to utility are problems and weaknesses that make customer satisfaction difficult or less satisfying (high prices, complicated purchasing process, poor customer service, complex user interface, difficulties in using the product, limited product availability...).
While vulnerabilities are often hidden and many industries have come to accept them as an immutable part of reality, they actually represent significant opportunities for innovation and growth in your business. In order to identify them, you need to go deep, understand your customer and question them thoroughly. For example, surveys, interviews with customers or tracking their interactions with your product or service can help.
Structure of the buyer's utility map
A utility map is essentially a visual tool. In a moment, you'll be able to see what the biggest obstacles are for your current customers and what's putting off potential ones. Think of it as a simple spreadsheet that:
columns capture the buyer experience cycle - the different stages a buyer goes through when using a product or service,
rows show utility levers - the different ways a company can increase the value (utility) that its product or service provides at different stages of the buyer experience cycle.
Each map usually contains 6 stages that buyers go through and 6 ways to add value to them. What's interesting is that many industries only focus on one or two buyer stages. The other opportunities are overlooked by companies. This information alone can help you significantly and point you towards a solution and - a blue ocean.
The buyer experience cycle typically includes the following 6 phases:
Purchase: the actual purchase phase, including selection and payment.
Delivery: the process by which a product is delivered to a customer or a customer gains access to a service.
Use: Actual consumption or use of a product or service.
Add-ons: how and when customers buy or use add-ons to a product or service.
Maintenance: how easy or difficult is it to maintain the product or service.
Disposal: The process by which customers dispose of a product when it is no longer needed.
The different phases are not fixed, they can vary depending on the sector. You can therefore adapt them to better reflect the nature of your business.
The levers of utility typically include the following 6 factors:
Productivity: the ways in which a product or service can increase the efficiency or performance of customers in achieving their goals. The goal is to save the customer time, reduce the costs associated with achieving certain outcomes, or simplify processes to make them less difficult or complicated.
Simplicity: simplifying the use of a product or service and removing complexity.
Convenience: Ensuring that a product or service is available whenever and wherever the customer needs it.
Risk reduction: reducing any risk associated with the use of a product or service.
Entertainment and image: Reinforcement of the aesthetic value or prestige that a product or service provides.
Environmental impact: An improvement in the environmental aspects of a product or service and its impact on the environment.
If you analyze all the levers of utility at different stages of the buyer's experience (from purchase to use to disposal), you get36 potential areas of benefit. What to do with them and how to find them? The aim is to find out which "boxes" you are focusing on the most and which ones you are ignoring and thus overlooking opportunities for innovation. This can then help you create entirely
new value for customersand differentiate yourself from the competition. And it's only a short walk to the blue ocean.
How to make a custom utility map for the buyer
There's nothing better than experiencing it all for yourself. I mean, the product. Or a service. Whatever you're selling. Here's a buyer's benefit map template you can save and refer back to whenever you want. Below you'll find the steps I recommend you follow. Get started.
1. Put yourself in the shoes of a buyer
Start by identifying with the buyer. Think about the entire process the customer goes through from the moment they decide to buy something to the moment they discard the product or stop using the service.
2. Identify the biggest barriers to benefit
At each of these stages, think about what might be causing buyers difficulty or deterring them from continuing to use your product or service. This can include everything from high price, complexity of use, lack of customer support to difficulty in disposing of the product.
3. Fill in the buyer's utility map
Mark each of these weak points with a cross on the map. This will create a visual overview of all the issues that stand between your customers and their full enjoyment of your product or service.
4. Analyse the results
After you have completed the map, see what problems you have discovered. What does the map tell you? Do buyers have to overcome greater obstacles at some stages than at others?
5. Go through all the weak spots
Consider whether these issues may in any way limit the use of what you offer. It may affect your ability to retain existing customers or attract new ones.
6. Remove obstacles
Finally, think about how these obstacles could be removed. What could you change about your product, process or service to make it more useful and appealing to customers?
If you go through the whole process step by step, you will find that you suddenly perceive your customers' needs in a completely different way. You'll see what they want, what they need and what annoys them. You'll see the gap in the market that you can fill with something new, better and more valuable. This is the key to creating a successful blue ocean strategy that allows you to dominate the market and not worry about what the competition is doing. I've written up the basic points of Blue Ocean here.
Set aside some time on your own (or with the whole team) and get to it. You'll see that the result is really worth it. If you don't know how to fill in the map or how to interpret it correctly, drop me a line. Let's check it out together.