Before You Build Your Next Offer, Find Out If People Want It

You have an idea for a workshop, a service, a digital product, or a new program.

You can already picture how it will work. You start outlining the content, thinking about the name, creating the materials, and planning how you'll market it.

A few weeks—or months—later, you've put a lot of time into making it real.

There's just one problem: you still don't know whether people will pay for it.

This is the situation business strategist Mireia Paino helps entrepreneurs approach differently.

During the Hey Girl You Can panel, “Turning Your Ideas Into Income,” Mireia shared the importance of validating an idea before investing substantial time in building it.

Her approach starts with a simple distinction: liking an idea and being willing to pay for it are not the same thing.

Your audience can help you decide what to create next

When you're developing a new offer, it's tempting to start with what you want to teach or what you think would be useful.

But your customers and past clients may have already given you clues about what they need next.

Think about the people you've helped before.

What questions have they asked since working with you? What are they struggling with now? What problem keeps coming up in conversations? What would make the next stage of their work or life easier?

These questions can reveal opportunities you might not have considered on your own.

If you already have relationships with people who know your work, you don't necessarily need to start by building a new audience. You can begin by listening to the people you already serve.

That doesn't mean every suggestion should become an offer. It means you're using real conversations to make better decisions about what might be worth creating.

Ask questions that help you learn

There's a difference between asking someone whether they like your idea and learning whether it solves a problem they care enough about to address.

If you ask, “Would you buy a workshop about this?” someone may say yes because they want to encourage you.

You learn more by asking about their actual experience.

For example:

• What is the most frustrating part of dealing with this problem?

• What have you already tried?

• What still isn't working?

• What would you need help with next?

• What would a useful solution make possible for you?

Listen carefully to the answers. Look for recurring problems, specific needs, and language people use to describe what they want.

You don't have to convince anyone that your idea is valuable during this conversation. Your job is to understand whether the problem matters to them and whether your proposed solution fits.

Sell the idea before you build the entire thing

Mireia's approach encourages entrepreneurs to test demand before spending hours creating something that may not sell.

That might mean describing the offer, explaining the outcome, and inviting interested people to take the next step before every detail is finished.

You still need to be clear about what you're offering, what someone will receive, and what you can realistically deliver.

The point is not to sell something you can't provide. It's to avoid building an elaborate product before you have enough evidence that people want it.

For example, if you're considering a paid workshop, you could start by outlining the specific problem it will address, the people it is designed for, and what participants will leave knowing or able to do.

Then speak with potential customers and invite them to register if it fits their needs.

Their response gives you information you can't get from working on the idea alone.

Don't confuse interest with demand

People may tell you that your idea sounds wonderful. They may like your posts, comment on your announcement, or encourage you to keep going.

Those responses can be encouraging, but they don't necessarily tell you whether your offer will sell.

A stronger signal is a real commitment to the offer, such as registering or paying when you invite people to do so.

If people don't respond as you hoped, resist the urge to immediately lower your price or assume the idea is worthless.

Instead, look at what you learned.

Perhaps the problem isn't urgent enough. Maybe the audience isn't right. The outcome may be unclear, or the offer may not be the solution people are looking for.

You can use that information to refine your idea before investing more time and money.

Your next offer might come from someone you've already helped

One practical exercise is to make a list of past clients, customers, or people you've supported.

Choose a few people with whom you have an appropriate relationship and ask what they are working on now. Find out what has changed since you last worked together and where they could use help.

Don't go into the conversation assuming you already know what they need. Let them tell you.

You may discover an opportunity for a new service, a follow-up workshop, a smaller offer, or a resource that addresses a recurring problem.

You may also discover that your original idea needs to change.

Both outcomes are useful.

The goal is not to prove that every idea you have is a good one. It's to find out which ideas are worth pursuing before you invest heavily in them.

Continue learning

Mireia Paino shared her approach to validating business ideas during the Hey Girl You Can panel, “Turning Your Ideas Into Income.”

• Get Mireia’s free Past Client Reactivation Email Template: HERE

• Watch the full panel replay: HERE

• Get Tara’s free Breakthrough Business Blueprint: HERE

• Explore Hey Girl You Can: https://www.heygirlyoucan.com

Before you create your next offer, ask yourself: What could I learn from the people I already know before I start building?