You just made my list of shit to do today.
Sorry, that wasn’t for you.
It’s what I recently said to a spider. Aloud. When the two of us were alone in the basement.
He was sitting dead center on the next available sheet of select-a-size paper towels. Ballsy, since I’m sure he knew he was perched on the very weapon I use for smothering, squishing, and disposing of unwelcome critters.
It was like a death row inmate asking the warden to pick up the pace on their walk to the killing floor.
But don’t let my best Dirty Harry impression fool you. Because I’ve got a crippling fear of spiders.
The only words more frightening to me than “egg sac” are “vacant egg sac.”
So, whenever I see a spider, it’s got my full attention. Nothing else matters.
And whether you realize it or not, the same thing happens to you whenever you spot a problem.
Any problem, any size.
That’s because problems light up our brains way more than solutions.
Yes, we’re drawn to solutions, too. But only because they provide relief to the problem that first grabbed our attention.
I’m no brain expert. But Sean D’Souza is.
D’Souza is the owner of Psychotactics and the author of The Brain Audit, Why Customers Buy (And Why They Don’t). In his book, he tells us …
“The brain recognizes a problem long before it recognizes the solution to the problem. And it very quickly works out what’s an irritant, what’s kinda dangerous, and what’s really scary.”
Why is this important?
Because if your marketing communications are leading with the solution before acknowledging your audience’s problem …
You’re missing opportunities to close more business.
If you don’t believe me, think about anything you’ve ever bought.
Consciously or not, you evaluated it by its ability to solve some kind of problem. It could have been purely functional. Or it may have been tied to a social or an emotional need.
But your problem came first.
So, when you remind your audience of the issue they’re up against, you’re meeting them at the conversation they’re already having in their head.
You’re not scaremongering or being negative. You’re using empathy and understanding to make your customer feel seen.
Their struggle still exists. Only now it seems familiar to both of you.
And when your audience knows you get it, they’re more likely to see you as someone who can help them.
But, Matt, what if I solve more than one problem?
Simple.
You start with your prospect’s biggest frustration.
That gets them in the door. And once you’ve shown you can address someone’s most pressing issue, you can begin introducing solutions to additional problems.
D’Souza calls this “isolating the problem.” When you do this, he says: “The customer is quickly able to lock into the problem, and then investigate what kind of solution you’re bringing to the table.”
This “problem first” way of thinking might take some practice—especially if you’re used to leading with your benefits.
But I hope you’ll summon the courage to give it a shot.
And if you find yourself sliding into old habits, always remember …
If it weren’t for that spider, I would have never noticed those paper towels.
Here’s a song to play you out >>>
See you next time. — Matt
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