What's the Problem of the Problem?
I caught five mice in three days.
That happens when you move to a place with "Fields" in the name.
No matter how vigilant my family is, leaving out a tiny morsel just inside the garage door, not even the main house, is a siren sound for Mickey and his band.
My wife discovered mice got into the pantry shelves in our garage.
She shrieked before impersonating a whole CSI crew and sending me a flurry of photos.
The first problem: Mice invaded our house.
As with every problem, though, it created more problems. We spent hours:
These problems completely hijacked our weekend plans.
Halfway through tossing another long-tailed, no-longer-gnawing fiend in the garbage bin, I realized something...
Every first problem your audience is facing carries an entourage of second problems.
What's their biggest problem?
You and every other 'expert' in your industry already talk about that problem ad nauseam.
But what other problems are created or accentuated because of that first problem?
An investor may be facing a poor outlook for retirement because they're behind on investments.
Their first problem? Facing retirement without enough money.
The second set of problems? Financial stress, marital strife, suffering from a scarcity mindset, feeling pressure to keep working long after they want to retire, and more.
If you're a financial advisor, your solution - solid financial planning and increasing investments to match the plan - helps solve their first problem.
Solving their first problem (not having enough for retirement) also eases financial stress, marital strife, and the rest.
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Your solution is designed to solve your audience's first problem, whether through a course, community, coaching, advisory services, event, training, or whatever.
The challenge is knowing your solution is potent enough to simultaneously solve the problem of the problem.
If you're helping an investor client have a solid financial plan, how are you also helping them:
And all without sacrificing their sanity, integrity, or relationships.
Sensing your audience's primary problem is easy.
Knowing the problems caused by that primary problem is where the real impact starts.
Your messaging - how you talk about what you do - will be stronger, more relatable, and create better results when you speak to their primary problem and the problems of the problem.
Even better, helping your audience identify the root cause of the primary problem is when you protect against future pain.
We haven't trapped or even seen any mice for quite some time. Why?
We set up traps outside the house, restricted food usage outside our dining room, and regularly check our pantry for any loose food.
The primary problem is contained. The problems of the problem are nonexistent.
Most importantly, we eradicated and future-proofed against the source of the problem.
That gives us the freedom to focus on making memories without any unwanted whiskers.
So, what are the problems caused by your audience's primary problem?
Every other 'expert' in your industry is focusing on the primary problem.
Your message will stand out if you speak to all of the relevant problems stemming from that problem.
So, how are you speaking to all of their problems?
And what's your plan for helping them exterminate all those problems, not just the main problem, for good?
The #1 Coaches’ Coach | The Clarity Creator? | Helping Coaches Become The B.O.S.S. of Their 6-Figure Brand with 1 Clear Offer and 1 "Automatic Income" AI Content Engine.
3 周This hits home, dude. When we moved in 4 months ago, we had the same issue, mice sneaking in like they owned the place. Spent weeks battling them, cleaning, locking down food, setting traps… and yeah, it hijacked way more time than expected. And just like that, you nailed the real messaging lesson here: The first problem is never just the problem. It’s the chain reaction that follows.
Founder | Visible Digital Solutions - Work with law enforcement and biz pros. Provide custom digital VRA, Peer Support apps, ebiz cards and ebrochures. Share via QR code, text, or email for easy 24/7 access.
3 周Great insights Jon... so, so true. We tend to focus on the immediate issue and give little to no attention to the other things that may have been affected. I will take this to heart when looking at my personal as well as business/client problems. Thanks Jon.