Many growing businesses struggle to develop hit products or services because they guess what buyers need rather than uncover real problems that consumers will pay money to solve. So say the authors of Tuned In: Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities that Lead to Business Breakthroughs, which explores how leading companies create the perfect solutions to specific problems by tuning in the right way and at the right time.

Craig Stull, Phil Myers, and David Meerman Scott interviewed nearly 100 CEOs for their book and studied the introductions of thousands of products. What they learned is that tuned-in companies cultivate an “outside-in” culture, find and interview people in their market face-to-face, and measure the potential impact of solving a problem. Once they create a resonator — a product or service that people want to buy without being coerced — it will virtually sell itself and help the company become and remain a market leader. Some of the most tuned-in companies today include Zipcar, StubHub, GoPro, and Intuit.

According to the authors, the most common mistakes that cause tuned-out products and services to fail are:

• Guessing. Don’t presume to know more than buyers about what they want to buy.
• Assuming. Don’t base your business development strategy on what current customers request. Instead, uncover an unsolved problem that people will pay money to fix.
• Telling. Don’t try to create a need in the market by relying on an expensive integrated marketing communications plan or an army of salespeople.

To get your business in tune, the authors recommend this six-step process:

1. Find unresolved market problems.
2. Understand buyer personas to identify your customer.
3. Quantify the potential impact of your solution.
4. Create breakthrough experiences around your product or service.
5. Articulate powerful ideas that speak to buyers’ problems.
6. Establish authentic connections so buyers understand how you’ve solved their problems.

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