It’s not hard to get customers to “yes” if you know what they need.

Q: I have a great idea for a service, but how do I know if people want it? – Shana, Tucson, AZ

If you want to create an irresistible offer, you can’t start with your solution. You must start with other people’s problems — and those problems must be big enough that they’ll pay to solve them.

How do you know what they’ll pay for? Ask them!

Yes, this sounds time-consuming. But it’s simpler than it sounds. Here’s an effective approach that’s worked for me: Survey people on LinkedIn, and craft an offering based on the answers you get. Here’s how.

Step 1: Create your survey.

Google Forms will do fine. Your survey should read like a dialogue — you’re trying to understand their problem and desired solution. Here are a few generic starter questions, which you should make specific to your industry:

• What is the most difficult hurdle you deal with daily?
• What would life look like after you overcame that hurdle?
• What’s blocking you right now from overcoming that hurdle?
• If you had a magic wand and could create the perfect solution, what would it be?
• If someone created that perfect solution for you, how much would you pay for it?

Step 2: Build your list.

You don’t need to have a large following on LinkedIn. You just need a good search strategy.

Start by searching for your target audience. Be as specific as possible. For example, if you offer solutions for HR pros, search “Human Resources Managers” and filter by industry, location, or anything else.

Step 3: Reach out.

This is a numbers game. Aim to get around 60 responses, which means you may need to direct-message hundreds of people. Remember this is the part where other people give up.

To get you started, here’s the outreach message I used when crafting a program for consultants: “Hey [name], I see you’re a consultant and I’m wondering if I can ask you a few questions about your daily challenges, and potential solutions, for a coaching program I’m working on. If you’re able to help I’ll pass along a brief survey, which should take 5 minutes to complete. Thanks!” My first blast went out to 200 people. It took six hours and netted me 45 responses.

Step 4: Study the results.

Remember when you asked people how much they’d pay for a solution? Look at people’s answers to that. If they were vague or skipped it, filter them out — they’re not your audience.

For the respondents who are left, check out their answers to the “If you had a magic wand…” question. Patterns should emerge. Start to think about the overlap between these people’s needs and what you’re capable of offering. That’s the starting point for your new service.

Step 5: Develop and pitch.

Once you know what your audience wants, you can create a solution for them. And once you do that, you also have your first sales leads!

When you’re ready, DM these people again to tell them the good news: You’ve solved their problem.

Here’s a starting point for what to send them: “Thanks again for your time. Based on your feedback, I’ve created the following solution. And here’s a tip on solving one of the challenges you referenced…”

Of course, you’ll want to customize that (and don’t sound too “salesy”). Look closely at how they answered the question, “What would life look like after you overcame that hurdle?” Use their language in your pitch — because now you know the ideas that will resonate with them.

You asked. You learned. You helped. Now that’s service.

This article was written by Terry Rice, and originally appeared on Entrepreneur.com.