Workshop on understanding the consumer

I am conducting a workshop with entrepreneurs today at UNIDO bahrain. The subject of the workshop is “Getting into the mind of the consumer”.

I am emphasizing to the new entrepreneurs how the positioning in the consumers mind is one of the most important aspects of business success. Without a distinct USP or a differentiated offering organisations fade away into oblivion. Companies that connect emotionally with heir customers on an ongoing basis succeed.

I spoke about Nike, Apple and Starbucks and their ability to connect with the consumer. I explained how the era of competing on price and quality are long gone, businesses fail without a clear and unique proposition and an emotional bond with consumers. I explained how evangelists need to be created from their experience.

The second part of the workshop is breaking the participants into teams and drilling deep into the consumer psyche. Each team have been given a new business idea to create- a new restaurant, a play school and a supermarket. They then work on all aspects of the consumer, imagining their issues, aspirations, salary, pain points etc. Identifying the competition and finding a distinct space away from them in the customers mind is the other part.

Each team will be presenting in 10 minutes with the name of the business, concept, USP, launch idea and marketing concept. They will be judged and points given to make it fun.