Struggling Local Business Help: Step #4 Address Customer Pain Points

We think it’s safe to assume that most struggling business owners in San Jacinto and Hemet probably don’t know what their customer pain points are. So, for this post, we decided to focus on ways to figure that out.

What Are Customer Pain Points?

Customer pain points are the problems, frustrations, or needs that your products or services solve. Simply put, they’re the challenges your customers face, and understanding them is key to marketing your solutions effectively.

That’s why knowing who your ideal customers are is so important. Even if you’re in the same market as competitors, your product can stand out if it addresses your audience’s pain points in a way no one else does.

Examples: 3 Different Brands, Same Niche

To understand how addressing customer pain points can set you apart, let’s look at an example. Imagine three different vendors in the same market—street tacos at a local Farmer’s Market. Each vendor serves tacos, but they cater to entirely different local pain points.

First Booth

This vendor sells chicken street tacos at a very reasonable price. No other entrees, no sides, no drinks—just great-tasting, simple tacos with plenty of meat. You get 3 tacos for only $2, or they offer a family meal with 18 tacos for $10. This vendor is catering to customers who are looking for affordable, no-frills, delicious food—perfect for those who are budget-conscious but still want great flavors. The customer pain point is simple, satisfying food at a low price.

Second Booth

This stand offers fusion-style tacos with ground beef, shredded chicken, or pulled pork, topped with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes for $2 each. They also offer fountain drinks, canned sodas, and desserts at higher prices. This vendor is targeting those who want variety and options—people who like to mix flavors and enjoy a complete meal with sides and drinks. The customer pain point here is variety, choices, and convenience for those looking to make a full meal out of tacos.

Third Booth

A vegan taco vendor using jackfruit and other plant-based “meats,” with a range of toppings including vegetables, fruits, and even nuts. They sell fresh-squeezed orange juice, a nod to the local area’s citrus history, and other bottled vegan juices. They don’t offer desserts, but they specialize in locally sourced, vegan-friendly options that cater to health-conscious consumers or those with dietary restrictions. The pain point for these customers is finding healthy, vegan food that also honors the local community, and they’re willing to pay more for that specialized experience.

Conclusion

It’s so important to understand the value people see in what you sell and how it meets their needs. When you can position your business as the solution to their problems, you’ll connect with your target market on a deeper level and create customer experiences that keep them coming back.

But what if you’re just starting out here in Hemet or San Jacinto? Or maybe you’ve been around for a while, but you’re still not sure what your customers’ pain points are? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! In the next section, we’ll share 10 simple ways to figure it out and start making a difference today.

10 Simple & Free Ways to Identify Your Customers’ Pain Points?

Understanding your customers’ pain points—the problems, frustrations, and needs that your products or services can solve—is critical to building a successful business. The good news? You don’t need a big budget or complicated strategies to get started.

In this post, we’re breaking down 10 simple tips into three practical categories: quick actions you can take today, easy research you can use right away, and long-term strategies that build deeper connections over time.

Each tip includes clear actions you can start now without spending a dime. These steps are designed to help you identify exactly what your customers need so you can address their pain points effectively and grow your business. Let’s get started!

Quick Actions You Can Start Today

When time is tight, the best way to make progress is to start small and act fast. These simple, everyday actions require little to no effort but can provide valuable insights into your customers’ pain points. You don’t need fancy tools or long-term plans—just a willingness to observe, ask questions, and listen.

1. Lean on What You Already Know

Think back to why you started your business in the first place. What problems were you trying to solve for your customers?

Those reasons can help you figure out what your target market needs, and chances are, you already offer those solutions. You probably chose your products or services because you noticed a common challenge people were facing. So trust your experiences and instincts—they’ll point you in the right direction.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of a customer walking into your store for the first time. What did you need when you came in? What were you expecting to find? What would make you leave happy?

Action to Take Now

For each problem you solve, write it down and ask yourself these questions:

1. Who exactly has this problem? Identify the specific people or businesses facing this issue.
2. What are their frustrations? Understand their pain points and what bothers them the most about the problem.
3. How do they feel about this problem? Recognize their emotions: Are they stressed, overwhelmed, confused, or tired of dealing with it?
4. Why is my solution the best option for them? Explain why your product or service is the best fit to solve this problem.
5. What benefits will they experience from my product or service? Highlight the specific benefits, both immediate and long-term, that your customers will get once the problem is solved.

If you find problems you can’t solve, don’t concentrate on those for now. Narrow your focus to the ones you can solve and use that in your marketing and promos to create specials for new and returning customers.

2. Listen to What People Complain About

Pay attention to frustrations people voice in casual conversations or online related to your industry, niche, solution, or brand. Whether it’s at work, social gatherings, or on social media, listen for common complaints or issues that your products or services can solve.

Action to Take Now

Keep a Journal: Note down common frustrations in a journal on your phone for easy access. Write down complaints people have that align with the solutions your business offers, even if you prefer using a voice journal. This will help you quickly identify recurring pain points.

3. Ask During Every Sale

Take advantage of every sale to ask simple questions like, “What made you choose us today?” This gives you valuable insight into what customers are looking for and helps you understand their needs. And don’t forget, it’s just as important to ask returning customers why they keep coming back. Understanding why they’re loyal can help you continue to meet their needs. Pay attention to the good, the bad, and the ugly—every bit of feedback is valuable for fine-tuning your offerings and marketing strategies.

Action to Take

Set up a simple system to track customer feedback during every sale. Keep a notebook or a digital note on your phone where you can quickly jot down or voice-record their answers, especially if you’re busy. This ensures you won’t forget important insights about why customers chose your business and what they value. You can also create a space on your receipt or order form with a QR code to ask for quick feedback, so it’s easy to collect without interrupting the transaction.

4. Create Suggestion Boxes

Setting up suggestion boxes, both in-store and online, provides your customers with a simple way to voice their opinions and frustrations. Some customers may feel more comfortable sharing feedback anonymously, especially if they’re concerned about speaking up directly. Offering both physical and digital options ensures you’re accessible to all customers, whether they visit in person or online.

This method gives you direct access to what customers like, dislike, and wish for—valuable insights that help you identify pain points and gaps in your offerings. Whether it’s product suggestions, service issues, or customer experience concerns, a suggestion box allows you to capture honest feedback that can guide you in adjusting your business to better meet your customers’ needs.

Action to Take Now

Set up a simple suggestion box in your store today. All you need is a box, a few blank forms, and a pen. Let your customers know it’s there and encourage them to leave feedback. You can even add a small sign near the box with a prompt like, “We’d love to hear how we can improve!” This easy step gives you a direct line to your customers’ thoughts and can help you quickly gather valuable insights.

Section Conclusion

Incorporate these quick actions into your daily routine to uncover customer frustrations and needs without slowing down your day. Sometimes, the simplest steps can make the biggest impact on understanding your market and improving your business.

Quick Research You Can Use Right Away

You don’t need to spend hours or hire experts to get meaningful insights into what your customers’ issues and concerns. These easy DIY marketing research methods allow you to tap into valuable information you can start using immediately—without a steep learning curve.

5. Track Common Questions

This tip is all about paying attention to the questions customers frequently ask, whether in person, on the phone, or through email. These questions can reveal what customers need help with and what they’re struggling to understand about your product or service.

Common questions often point to areas of confusion, gaps in your communication, or unmet needs in your market. By tracking these questions, you’ll gain valuable insights into what your customers really care about, where they need more information, and what might be frustrating them.

For example, if you continuously get calls about how to clean floors after installing epoxy flooring, then create a webpage that explains it in detail and link it to your product page. And create a simple instruction card with your logo and web address on it, and a QR code to the web page with more details.

When they go to that page and find out that you do deep cleanings as well, guess who they’ll call when they need that service done? And once again, have your service worker pay attention to their questions while there performing the service.

Track these questions regularly, and start using that feedback to refine your messaging, create helpful resources, and expand your service offerings.

Action to Take Now

Create a FAQ Page – Start tracking the most frequent questions and build a simple FAQ page on your website to provide answers that will save time and improve customer satisfaction. If you don’t have a webpage, create a simple document, flyer, or printed FAQ sheet to address the most common questions. Add a link or QR code to direct customers to your website for more detailed information.

This FAQ page not only helps customers understand the problems you solve but also drives more traffic to your site and supports your SEO goals by answering questions that your target market commonly searches.

6. Look at Online Reviews

Check platforms dedicated to profiling and reviewing local businesses for feedback on your brand and your competitors. Here’s a list of local platforms where you can check reviews for businesses in the Hemet San Jacinto area:

• Yelp
• Google Reviews
• Facebook
• Yellow Pages
• BBB (Better Business Bureau)
• Nextdoor
• Thumbtack
• Angie’s List

Online reviews offer valuable insights into the pain points your customers are facing, and what they like or dislike about your business. Whether positive or negative, reviews help you identify areas to improve and opportunities to highlight what’s working well.

Check your competitors’ reviews too. By doing so, you can spot where they’re falling short, allowing you to capitalize on their weaknesses and offer something better to the local Hemet San Jacinto market.

Action to Take Now

Start by Googling your business name in quotes: “Valley Local Pages.” This will show you what customers are saying about your brand online. Pay attention to where reviews are coming from and how your business is being discussed. If your business isn’t showing up in Google searches, claim your listings and start monitoring and responding to reviews—both positive and negative—to engage with your customers and improve your online presence.

7. Ask for Feedback from Past Customers

Reach out to customers you’ve sold to or provided services for before and ask them what they liked or what you could improve. It’s a simple way to learn what worked and what didn’t, while showing your customers that you care about making things better. Plus, it helps you fine-tune your services to better meet their needs next time.

Contact them by mail, email, or phone, and offer them multiple ways to respond—including online, by text, or with physical cards they can fill out and mail back or bring to your storefront in exchange for a free gift or discount.

Action to Take Now

Send a thank you card or email to past customers with a quick request for feedback on what they enjoyed—or didn’t—about your solutions. If you have a physical brick-and-mortar storefront, offer an incentive (like a discount or small gift) for customers who bring proof of their online participation, such as a screenshot or email receipt.

8. Observe Your Competitors

We don’t want you to waste too much time worrying about what your competitors are doing. In fact, forget about competing with them altogether. Instead, focus on their negative customer reviews—not to beat them at their own game, but to identify gaps in the market—or in their customer service—that you can fill, or where you’re already ahead of their game.

For example, let’s say your biggest competitor is winning because their prices are better, and you’re not able to match them right now. Instead of trying to compete on price, you check out their reviews and notice the biggest complaint from their customers is the parking.

Not only do they share a lot with multiple busy businesses, but the lot has potholes and rough asphalt. Some even complain about replacing tires because of it. Despite all that, the reviews still say it’s the only place in town that carries what they want.

Then, the first thing you realize is… They are NOT the only place that carries it. It had NOTHING to do with the pricing. Locals literally don’t know we exist!

The second thing you realize is that you’re the only business on your lot and that the parking lot was repaved less than a year ago.

So, you decide to show it off on social media, posting pictures and videos of happy customers buying and enjoying that strain. You partner with local food vendors and host a pop-up outdoor restaurant on your pristine lot. Everyone is invited to enjoy the food, but only your customers get a ticket for discounts on the food and future purchases—just for posting on social media with the campaign hashtag tagging your brand.

Look for areas where your competitors fall short and turn those gaps into strengths by showcasing what you do-or have- better. This will help you attract customers who are already looking for solutions to the problems your competitors are failing to address. Plus, it positions you as a business that not only meets needs but solves real problems, setting you apart in the market.

Conclusion: Do a bit of research, and you’ll discover where your business stands in your market and what customers really need. The insights you gain will guide smarter decisions for marketing, customer service, and even your product offerings.

Action to Take Now

Start by checking your competitors’ reviews on platforms like Google or Yelp. Look for recurring complaints or issues that their customers are experiencing.

Create two lists:

1. Things You Can Solve in the Future – Identify problems your business can’t currently address but can work on fixing over time. Create goals around these issues to improve your offerings.
2. Problems You Already Solve – List the problems that your business already addresses better than your competitors. Use these in your DIY marketing, but be tactful. Instead of calling out your competitors directly, highlight what you offer without being negative. For example, if you provide better parking, show off your clean lot in your social posts, but keep it subtle.

Section Conclusion

Do a little digging, and you’ll see where your business fits in the local market and what your customers really want and need. What you learn will help you make smarter choices for your marketing, customer service, and the products and services you offer.

Long-Term Strategies

Some strategies take time to develop but are worth the effort. These methods allow you to dive deeper into understanding your customers’ pain points while building lasting connections with your community. Patience and persistence will pay off in the long run.

9. Get Involved with the Community

Attend local events and join community networks, like the Hemet San Jacinto Chamber of Commerce. Become a vendor at local markets, business networking events, and industry gatherings. Use these opportunities to talk to people and uncover their challenges, frustrations, and needs. Then, tailor your operations, customer service, and marketing strategies to solve those problems effectively.

Action to Take Now

Attend one local community event within the next month. It doesn’t have to be industry related—start small, even if it’s just a school fundraiser or farmers’ market. Bring a notepad or use your phone to jot down key observations or conversations about common frustrations or needs.

Before you leave, sign up for another event to keep the momentum going. Collect fliers or business cards from vendors that interest you, and use them to create a simple list of potential collaborators or suppliers for future use.

Use what you learn to brainstorm one simple change for your business—like offering extended hours on weekends if you hear locals need more flexibility. Start small and adjust as needed without overcommitting resources.

10. Start Small and Test

Take your customers’ feedback and use it to make small, manageable changes to what you offer or how you do business. Maybe it’s adding a product people keep asking about, adjusting your hours to fit their schedules, making it easier to place service calls online, or offering free delivery directly from your store for your VIP customers. The key is to start with one change at a time and build from there.

Test your ideas in small ways to see what works without overcommitting resources. This approach gives you the flexibility to make adjustments as needed, ensuring your business evolves in a way that truly addresses your customers’ needs.

Action to Take Now

Pick one customer suggestion to act on right now—something small, like adding a product or extending your hours one evening a week. Keep it simple, track how it performs, and adjust as needed based on the results.

Section Conclusion

These long-term strategies aren’t about instant results—they’re about creating a sustainable path forward. Commit to these actions to build a stronger relationship with your community and gain the deeper insights your business needs to thrive.

Next Up in This Series: Struggling Local Business Help: Step #5 Generate Quick Cash Flow

Put It All Together: Target the RIGHT Target Customers

Your business can’t afford to keep wasting time marketing to the wrong crowd. When you focus on the customers who truly need what you sell, you’ll not only increase sales but also build long-term relationships. Targeting the right people means creating loyal customers who keep coming back.

Take Action Now!

It’s time to zero in on the customers who truly matter. Step back, figure out who your ideal customers are, and tweak your marketing to speak directly to them. Make your message clear, show up where they are, and offer solutions to their needs. This focused approach will help your business grow and thrive.