Have a Passion for the Problem, Not the Product
The key to a successful business? Problems! People are always going to have problems. And your job as a business owner? To solve these problems for your loyal clients. Seems easy enough, right? Sort of.
Your client probably doesn’t care about your solution until you paint a picture of the problem you solve for them. A marketing strategy based on the challenges you help your clients overcome instead of the products and services you offer shifts the focus back to where it should be — the customers.
Customers almost always know what their problems are (unless they haven’t come across them yet) but they don’t know how to solve them. That’s where you come in.
A common issue with this theory is that people are always searching for the newest, best and quickest way to fix their problems and move on to the next task. The rapid pace of today’s business and tech worlds has proven to be a problem in itself for some companies. It’s as simple as: Do your best and work your hardest or else you won’t have a company to run anymore. So that’s up to you.
B2B customers have learned to ignore the flashy promotion of features and benefits and focus on how your product can solve an issue — their issue. CEOs and executives have been retrained to ask, “How is your product going to fix our problem?” “Why do we need it?” “What will happen if we decide to go with your service?”
How to Inject Problem Solving Into Your Marketing
People like when things are simple. Instead of naming various product features, focus on the main reasons why the customer will be better off with what you are providing. Highlight the benefits of your product in the simplest way possible. Every feature included in your product should offer a clear benefit.
Convincing a potential customer that they need a solution is easy. Convincing a potential customer that they need YOUR solution is what poses a challenge.
Place the focus on unique features of your product that will quickly and easily remedy your potential customers’ pain points. Make sure to highlight how the tool that you’re offering is different from other players within the market, but don’t overdo it. Nothing turns people off faster than someone over hyping their product just to make a quick buck.
So What Now?
- Identify common problems that your product solves.
- Research. Ask some of your best customers what their most pressing pain points are. Don’t have any “best customers” yet? Conduct research online. Google is your best friend.
- Consolidate your findings and craft a list of commonly reported issues that your product can solve.
Companies that have shifted their marketing messages to highlight the problems they solve and the results they deliver are thriving in 2018. Things are changing, and you must stay current with the latest business trends to keep your business afloat.
About the Author
Sydney Ergle, November 26th, 2018
Sydney Ergle, a graduate from Kennesaw University, is part of SplashBI’s next generation of marketing minds. Sydney oversees SplashBI’s social media, email campaigns, and in her free time likes to hang out with her cat, Tim Beans.
