A lot of businesses face a difficulty which is often overlooked – the better they are at their job, the faster they lose their customers! A customer comes to them with a problem, they solve the problem, and the customer doesn’t need them anymore. That was the situation faced by HowAboutWe, an online dating service. The more successful they were, the faster they lost their customers.

The solution to this anomaly can often be found by asking the following question… “What will the customer need next?” That’s what HowAboutWe did and they realised that people new to a relationship may need help and support in building and developing the relationship over the long haul. That’s a new side to the business they’re now developing.

If you’re in a ‘problem solving’ business – and most of us are – giving some thought to what products or services your customers will need once you’ve solved their initial problem, may well lead you into new and lucrative areas. Someone will make money fulfilling those needs, so why not you? You solved their first problem so you already have a strong relationship to build upon.