Before you launch a business you need to be able to answer this question:
What problem are you solving for your customers?
Because people aren't looking to buy the thing that you're selling. People want to buy the result. They buy solutions to their problems. They buy relief to their pain points. They buy the answers to their prayers, needs, and wishes.
Your ideal clients are searching for a solution to a very specific problem. YOU provide that solution. And you need to shout it out loud and clear in your marketing message.
So what's the best way to do it? It all comes down to clearly and concisely spelling it out for them.
Here's a genius example from an unexpected source…
One of my all-time favorite TV shows is AMC's Breaking Bad. If you like incredible acting, edge-of-your-seat storylines, and brilliant character development you should give it a whirl. And once you're done with it, you have to watch the equally fantastic spin-off (yes, there is such a thing!), Better Call Saul.
I was watching season 4 of Better Call Saul the other night, in preparation for season 5 to drop later this month. (Can I get a woot woot!)
In episode 4 entitled "Talk", main character Jimmy lands a job hawking cell phones at a CC Mobile store.
Now, if you haven't seen the show, you need to know that Jimmy isn't exactly Brother Teresa. He's nicknamed Slippin' Jimmy for a reason—he's a smooth-talking swindler by nature, always looking for the next quick come-up.
So after enduring a solitary shift in the "deader-than-disco" CC Mobile store, he devises a plan to target a new type of customer...
Photo courtesy of AMC
*What Jimmy does in the photo above is brilliant. The message "Is the man listening? Privacy sold here" addresses a huge problem for his new ideal clients...who just so happen to be criminals.
Criminals can't make crooked deals on their own cell phones. They never know who's tapped their phone or who's listening to their calls, and their personal cell phone records are too easily tracked. In order to get away with their crimes, they need to be sure their communications are off the record...
Enter the "burner" phone. A throw-away cell phone that can't be traced back to a specific person. It provides the gift of anonymity, and is cheap and low-tech enough for criminals to destroy after a few uses.
The burner phone is the product—but the "privacy" is Jimmy's solution to their problem.
Privacy is what Jimmy is ACTUALLY selling.
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Now our solutions probably aren't as "extralegal" as Jimmy's, but we can all learn a lesson from his clear and concise marketing message.
Name the problem, but then instead of focusing on the product or service you provide, offer up the solution to that problem.
Connecting the dots for your ideal clients will show them that *the results you provide* are exactly what they've been looking for.
