4) SOLUTION 5) ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION

6) PROMISE 7) UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

8) STATUS QUO 9) GOAL

3) TARGET CUSTOMER

1) CHALLENGE 2) CONSEQUENCE

MARKETING

CANVAS

© Susanne Trautmannwww.marketing-canvas.de

3) TARGET CUSTOMER1) CHALLENGE 2) CONSEQUENCE

MARKETING

CANVAS

Is the challenge more a problemor a need?Why does the problem or needoccur?What are the causes of theproblem or need?Which factors influence theproblem or need?Is there more than one problemor need?If so, what are the top 3problems/needs?

What is the actual challenge yourtarget customer is facing? Find outmore about the reasons for theproblem and identify the factorsthat influence it.

Several problems/needs are the firstindication that your target audienceconsists of several personas!

What is the worst case scenariofor your customer if they ignorethe problem and do not look fora solution?What losses can they expect?What will it cost them(financially and emotionally) ifthey continue to do business asusual?What disadvantages will theysuffer as a result?What feelings will this cause?

What happens in the worst case, ifyour target customer will not getinto action to solve the problem,but continues to do business asusual?

This emotional trigger is a perfectstarting point for the go-to-marketstrategy you create out of thiscanvas.

Geographical location: How large isthe radius where you wish to beactive?Sector affiliation: Would you ratherwork with companies from industry,trade, commerce, or service sectors? Company phase: Are your targetcustomers start-ups or established,traditional companies with a historygoing back many years?Number of employees: How manyemployees does your preferredcustomer employ?Starting points: What is specialabout the starting point, that yourtarget customers share?  Targets: What are your targetcustomers' goals?

Create a checklist of conditions thatcompanies are likely to meet, that willbenefit most from your product orservice.

Now implement the first communicationmeasures to identify contact persons.

Who do you think could be the keycontacts on the customers‘ side? Whatsocio-demographic characteristics(gender, age, education, professionalsituation) describe these contacts? Who is currently experiencing the mostsignificant pain that you want to relievewith your product, technology orservice?Are they even aware of their problem?Is there a typical decision-makingprocess? What exactly does thedecision-making process look like andwho is involved? Which decisionmakers do you have to convince duringthe sales process?What information and data do yourtarget customers need to be able todecide in your favour? What types ofcontent positively influence purchasedecisions?

Identify key-contact persons:

The identification of suitable contacts isthe starting point for the personas thatwill be defined later in the process.

© Susanne Trautmannwww.marketing-canvas.de

4) SOLUTION

MARKETING

CANVAS

5) ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION 6) PROMISE

7) UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

How many steps are necessary to explainhow your solution works?What unique benefits are there in eachphase?Are there partners that you work closelywith? What added value do these partnerscontribute to which process steps?What is the crucial aspect of your product orservice that will allow you to generate amaximum response? Describe as preciselyas possible how your target customer willbenefit from your solution and use this toformulate the title of your solution process.

Identify the specific step-by-step process thatyour customers have to go through andexplain to them what information and activitiesare necessary to achieve the desired result.The solution is your customer's target status.It corresponds 1:1 to the problem you aresolving.

     You can use technical terms, but only if you aresure that your target audience will understandthem effortlessly.

What are the success or frustration factors of eachsolutions? What alternative solutions are the mostimportant and influential? What alternative solution is most widespread overall?What do your preferred customers dislike when itcomes to the solutions they currently use? Whatwould they change if they could?What can you achieve with your solution that yourcompetitors are unable to do?

What additional options are available to the consumerto solve the problem? 

Added value: Describe precisely how your targetcustomers will benefit from your solution.Emotion: Make a direct link to the losses thatcustomers will avoid, because of your solution.Vision: Activate the imagination of your targetcustomers and show them new ways you could helpthem in future which they have not yet considered.

Develop a compelling and convincing argumentationthat will motivate your target customers to test yoursolution. Prepare 3-5 promises that include:

Why can you help your target customers in a better way than your competitors? How do you differ from your main competitor?What is unique about your personal story? What values do you stand for? What is important to you?Where does your experience come from and how exactly do you leverage that experience? Can you achieve extraadded value or an exclusive benefit for your target customers?Why are you an expert in your field? What extraordinary talents does your team have?What does your network look like? Do you create a special synergy with your partners?

Your unfair advantage is your individual experience and expertise, it's unique and cannot be copied by your competitors.If the unfair advantage is missing, all marketing and communication measures are more or less ineffective.

© Susanne Trautmannwww.marketing-canvas.de

Assess your situation accurately and record all means and resourcesavailable to you: What skills have you already acquired? (Knowledge,experience, certificates and whatever comes to your mind) What resourcesor assets are available that will help you to create content?Identify all possible difficulties that you expect later in the process. Whatproblems do you have to take into account? What decisions do you still haveto make? What hurdles can you identify? Which technical, legal or economictrends influence your target customers or your competitors?Minimize the potential risks by filling the most critical gaps that you haveidentified. What is still missing on the way to the goal? Do you needadditional resources? Which tasks have to be completed before a furtherstep is possible?

It's time to construct a comprehensive overview of your situationto identify possible roadblocks early on. From this, you can derive how toequip your toolbox so that you can be truly successful. 3 steps are necessary:

Questions about the result: What would you like to achieve or create by the end ofthe project? Formulate the result as clearly, simply and figuratively as possible andschedule a timeframe for achieving the goal. Why do you want to achieve this result?A strong why is a motivator that will give you the strength to carry on even when youhave setbacks.Questions about the procedure: How will you achieve the result? Think about whichspecific milestones and sub-goals are necessary to achieve the goal. What are yourpriorities? In what order should the steps be completed? Always start with the stepsthat promise the most considerable progress. What do you want to achieve by when?How much time do you need for each milestone? Allow time for the unpredictableand stay flexible.

Now define a measurable goal that everyone in the team can work towards withenthusiasm. Formulate this goal in such a way that it describes the specific statethat you want to achieve together with your team after you’ve completed theproject.

Host a MarketingCanvas workshop

together withyour team

Share the finalcanvas with your

team and ask them  toreview the

inforamation.

Do more iteration loops, ifneeded. Try to condense thecontent as much as possible.

The canvas should looksimple in the end.

MARKETING

CANVAS

8) STATUS QUO 9) GOAL

Take your time andtry to complete all

boxes. Can youidentify knowledge

gaps?

© Susanne Trautmannwww.marketing-canvas.de

Get in touch with me,if you need my helpwhen you host your

first marketingcanvas workshop!

MARKETING

CANVAS

susanne@marketing-canvas.de

www.marketing-canvas.de

www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-trautmann/