Highlight Your Customer's Pain, Then Show Them the Cure

You are likely leaving money on the table - here are a few tips on how to get it back!

(this is a repost of my Forbes article)

The biggest reason you may be leaving money on the table or clients on the other side of your door is simply how you are positioning what you do and how you do it.

Over the past several months, I have advised numerous entrepreneurs and startups on their messaging and business growth strategies, and one thing continues to stand out as a critical mistake most of them are making: They continue to sell to prospective customers as if they truly care about their product or service.

How many websites have you been to that dedicate their home pages to telling you how many awards they have won, all the sales they have made, the whole menu of services they provide or why they are the best in class? (Don’t answer that, I know it’s a bunch.)

Now tell me how many of those tend to get your money, investment or business? Closer to zero than they sure would like to hear.

Those of you running a business, the good news is that there is a solution. Yes, it’s a change of perspective, mentality and strategy, and it's quite easy to pull off, as long as you don’t have too many old-schoolers running the show for your business insisting that your current marketing and promotional effort is the right (and only) way to do things.

If you’ve read my previous articles and book, watched my video content or listened to my podcasts, you know by now that I am a fierce proponent of always putting yourself in the eyes, shoes and mind of your prospective client or customer and anticipating what they truly want.

See what they see, hear what they hear, taste what they taste, and show them only the specials of the day, not every appetizer and entrée that you sell.

The best way to bring in new customers and retain the customers that you have is to demonstrate to them that you understand what ails them, and you are their cure — the best one out there, better than your competition!

I like to say that for every problem someone can come up with, there is a solution. It's critical to shine a giant spotlight on the problem that troubles them and make them feel the pain of what they’re going through.

Sounds harsh, I know. But psychologists have suggested that losses lead to feelings that are more extreme than those felt for equivalent gains. We feel the pain of a $100 loss more than the pleasure of a $100 gain. It's this same psychology that leads us to want to prevent future pain or cure a current one by making purchasing decisions now.

For example, if you are trying to get more families to use an app that you developed involving health care providers, and you know that people struggle with making health care decisions, point that out prominently on your website homepage:

"Have you ever had any issues with your health care provider?" Of course they have! "Have you ever had trouble finding a local doctor who truly cares about you and your family?" Again, yes. "Have you ever experienced lousy customer service?" Who hasn’t?

Follow that just below by saying that you completely understand and empathize with them, which is why you designed an app that will revolutionize how they find quality health care at affordable prices. Remind them over and over how challenging they have it now, then show them right away how your product or service is the solution to their problems. Once they see how your new app will alleviate any pain they are going through with their current way of doing things, you’ve got them!

One of my clients owns a publishing company that allows you to become an author by simply having several phone calls with them. They take what’s in your brain and turn that content into your very own book. Soon after, it will be on the shelves of big bookstore chains, on Amazon, and heck, even in your airport magazine shop. I advised them to stop focusing so much on their type of branding — on what they do — and instead let everyone know how easy (and exciting) it is to have their own book.

Their sales jumped dramatically when they showed how their service is the cure that takes away the pain of hundreds of hours of writing and editing, of designing the book cover, figuring out what fonts to use, deciding on the legal language, registering for ISBN numbers and so on.

A charity I support enthusiastically used to say, “By donating $100, you can have your name imprinted on this sign on the XYZ." This type of messaging was met with a muted level of interest. As soon as the focus turned to the direct impact their contributions were making, alleviating the pain that the kids were going through on the streets and the resulting pleasure they were getting by playing baseball because of that specific donation, the money poured in.

We are always told not to judge a book by its cover, but you and I both know that we judge things every day regardless of what may lie underneath the surface.

We often make buying and selling decisions simply by what our very first impressions are.

That's why it's?essential that you grab your potential customer's attention immediately and hold it.

Show them that you understand their pain, and by providing them the "cure," you will see your business jump to much higher levels.

Go get 'em, doctor!

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Combining my passion for sports and a desire to help others succeed, I founded Win Again, where current and former athletes can discover their identity beyond sports, develop the structure needed to succeed again, and receive the tips, strategies and actionable advice that allows them to WIN AGAIN and be elite in their next great career. Over the past 20 years as a business advisor and career coach, I have guided athletes and executives, holding them accountable during their transition.

The Win Again Clubroom events, "Make Your Mark" podcasts, and MYM Live webinars highlight athletes who are making a positive impact post-playing career, and my book “Win Again!” is a job search playbook for athletes, equipping them with strategies needed to land their ideal job or boost their entrepreneurial ventures.

As a graduate of Colgate University and a longtime Manhattan resident with my wife, kids, and Duke, I enjoy playing ice hockey, softball and golf, along with the guitar and piano.

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