Oy! What's your problem?!

"Marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem. Their problem." - Seth Godin

If an organisation?or an individual wants to thrive, grow, or even simply survive, they need to specialise in solving problems. Specific problems for specific people.

The more general the service or offering, the easier it is to copy and replicate. If someone has the choice of multiple providers of an unspectacular product or service, then price becomes the only differentiator. If that happens, then it's a race to the bottom. And that's a race that nobody wants to be in.

The path to finding specific problems to solve starts with listening and understanding. You'll have an idea of what your broad audience is and generally who that includes, eg CXO's in the UK. You may also understand industry-level challenges they may face, eg Changes to how Government funding is allocated.

This is all great. However, if you have a grip on?the broader challenges, then so does your competition. So that doesn't give you anything that helps you?stand you out from the crowd, does it?

If you want to stand out. Want to win people's attention and their trust so you can have the honour of calling them a customer, rather than a potential customer, then you need to break down those broader groups into smaller groups.

To do this, think about their challenges, both the 'keep you awake at night' and the day-to-day ones. You have to go deeper than 'budgets'. That's an everyone problem and, unless you have a truly unique method of addressing that challenge, then it doesn't make the list.?

Can't think of any? Then pick up the phone. Go to an event. Get on LinkedIn or Twitter and see what people are talking about.

If you don't carry out this work, then you'll not understand the opportunity. Then you'll not stand out and certainly won't get picked. Your potentially perfect customers will receive the same generic messaging from you that they receive from your competition. Nothing will change. You'll be one of the pack and indiscernible.?

You can have email drip campaigns with more stages than you can shake a stick at...You can spend thousands on paid social ads...You can have the most optimised website in the sector.

However.?

If you haven't fully understood the following about your target, then you won't be solving their problems. You'll be adding to the deafening noise of the crowd, who are vying for the same attention (and budgets) that you are. Get a grip on the following:

1. For your broader audience, what are the specific problems that you can solve?
2. Besides you, which other service or product providers can solve these problems?
3. If members of the broader audience were to pick you over the competition, what characteristics would those people have??
4. For this narrower audience, what are their specific problems?

This simple exercise will give you an indication of who in the market you can draw a big fat line through, and who you can focus your finite time and attention on. Then every future piece of marketing and sales collateral can be tailored to that audience.

This enables you to be more picky with your go-to-market activities.

You don't like our vibe, tone or offering? No dramas. We're not for you. Best of luck in your endeavours.

You like what we're about? Perfect. You're one of us. Come on in, I'll put the kettle on.

Being generous doesn't mean trying to help everyone. It means doing the work to uncover who your people are, and then giving them everything by solving their specific problems, in a specific way that nobody else can.

Whilst all of this sounds simple, not many businesses carry out this work, because the day-to-day gets in the way. Old habits continue. We continue to do what we've always done. Sometimes an organisation needs a catalyst. An informed bod who can look at your challenges without the burden of legacy or previous approaches.?

I've got pretty good at it. If you need a hand, then drop me a line.