Customer profiling technology:
the core of the Customerwise method of customer story production
Here we have two customer stories (click on the images to jump to the actual customerstories).
One generated three times more inquiries (inquiries via the company's website) than theother.

(Reproduced by permission of Nihonkyoninka-Center)
The customer story on the left was created by the client; the one on the right by myself.
The one on the right elicited three times more responses (inquiries).

It may seem to you that there is no great difference between these two examples. But
from the viewpoint of a prospective customer, who is seriously thinking of purchasing
the product, the difference is considerable.

The photograph, the standfirst copy and the main text of the one on the right allincorporate devices that are calculated to induce a response from a prospective customer
are embedded in.

It is not that the text reads well, or that the photograph is particularly good (in fact, theperson I interviewed did not want me to take a full-face photograph, so, with somedifficulty, I was obliged to take a photograph from the side.
The secret to this high response rate is "customer profiling". This is the skill of building
up an accurate image of the reader (the prospective customer) and assuming the role ofa prospective customer and conducting the interview from that viewpoint.
If an accurate customer profile can be built up in advance, the interviewer can serve as akind of "stand-in" for prospective customers. In this way, the interviewer is able to see
things from the reader's viewpoint (that of a prospective customer), and to write up thecustomer story from that viewpoint too. This means the customer story willautomatically elicit a response from prospective customers.
I do this profiling work in collaboration with the client, before going to interview thecustomer. I ask the client many questions, form predictions and assumptions, outline
those predictions and assumptions, build up predictions and assumptions, and graduallybuild up an accurate, concrete, three-dimensional image of the prospective customer.
On one occasion, I had a writer observe the process and set down on paper what exactly
I do.
1. Preparationo Research on client, products and competitors
o Notes on expected answers and projected ideal story, testimony andphotograph
2. Visito Preparation for visit, making mental preparations, travel
3. Introductiono Greetings; verification of positioning, establishing who will take thelead.
o Clearing up ambiguities, warning interviewee that they may findquestions uncomfortable.

4. Interview (skills)
o Apology for own ignorance, outline scope of desired responseso Brief outline of questions to be asked and specific expressions,explanation of purposeo Proposal of predictions and assumptionso Verification validity or otherwise of assumptions and their accuracy.
o Verification of terminology (are terms general or industry-specific, canthey be expressed another way?)o Proposal of categorization, verification using figureso Verification of maximum range, historic high and lowo Verification of concrete examples and some part of the examples being
eliminated or noto Description of perceptions, logic of persons appearing in story, directspeech approacho Communication of degree to which customer is convincedo Confirmation of shared perceptions

5. Interview (points to be covered)o Brief explanation of the producto Check 4 Ws.
o Companies: industry, size, area, whether product is used company-wide
or only in certain divisions, who proposed adopting the producto Individuals: age, sex, area, sensibilities, thoughts, points interviewee
believes are important, annual incomeo Have there been any unexpected buyers?
o Confirmation of purchase motivation. Under what circumstances does
the customer form a desire to purchase?
o Confirmation of benefit to customer. Necessary purchase or electivepurchase?
o Individuals: check which sense the product appealed to.
o Companies: has the product contributed to sales growth, reduced costs orreduced risk?

oooooooooooooooooooo

Is the product something you would buy once in a lifetime, or would you
make repeat purchases?
Is maintenance required?
Are the person who controls the finances and the person who makes
purchasing decisions one and the same?
Spontaneous purchase or forced purchase?
Self-motivated purchase or purchase motivated by others?
Purchase of materials or single unit purchase?
Confirmation of budget, price, units, unit price, number ordered, value oforder
Confirmation of customer's purchase decision-making process.
Confirmation of actions, people consulted, method used to overcome
difficulties, reasons for concern
Confirmation of visible and invisible competition
Three areas in which the client's product beats the competition
Sales issues: to whom does the client wish to sell the product in future?
Confirmation of how customer story is to be used
Confirmation of "ideal story"
Confirmation of imprinting effect and barrier lowering effectTurning interview into story
Description through reality, perceptions, emotions, thoughts, actions
Confirmation of validity of story
Outline of ideal customer. Reconstruction of word-of-mouth scenario
Description of ideal entry and exit points for reader (prospectivecustomer)

6. Proposalo Agreement of ideal entry and exit points
o Description of ideal testimonyo Drawing up concrete questions to elicit ideal testimonyo Description of ideal photograph in specific terms
o Creation of catchphraseI choose a combination of these items, according to circumstances, and discuss themwith the client, along with the products business resources available at the time, currentconditions (how much the client is currently selling and to whom), and client's hopes forthe future (how much they would like to sell and to whom), etc., and so finalize the"customer profile".
Ultimately, the difference between the two customer stories at the head of this page isthat one was produced on the basis of rigorous "customer profiling", while the other wasnot. Customer story production is 90% preparation. Advance profiling decides
everything.
The core strength of the Customerwise method does not lie in interviewing skills, nor
the ability to take great photographs or write well, but in customer profiling.