“It isn’t that they can’t see the solution. It’s that they can’t see the problem.” — G K Chesterton
Address the Pain Points
If you have developed a product, or offer a service, an effective business strategy is to underscore the problems your customers have, and then offer solutions. By understanding your customer's pain points you can provide workable solutions to their problems. A pain point is a persistent, or recurring problem, with a product or service that frequently inconveniences or annoys customers.
Market Ready Made Solutions
It is helpful to fashion your marketing in a way that highlights the customer's problem, and how your business has ready made solutions. Try to make all social media posts about the problems you're solving instead of the product. You can also write a blog that educates your target audience, and makes them aware of their need for your product/service.
Differentiate Your Business
You need to have a compelling reason for a customer to use your product over the competition. What sets you apart? For instance, at Reimer Collective we have the benefit of decades of business experience across a variety of industry sectors. We’ve been key participants in multiple start-ups, and have developed a deep understanding of the challenges new businesses face.
To differentiate your solution from other businesses it’s important to focus on the benefits you bring to the table.
Case Study
A new development company I’ve been consulting with provides a good example of selling the problem and not the product. They currently exist in a crowded building and development market. To stand out from the competition, they’ve directed their marketing energy to address specific pain points in the industry. For instance, they focused on the millennial (and millennial at heart) demographic who desired modern, luxurious living spaces at affordable prices. The company recognized the primary challenge for this group was qualifying for a mortgage for the style of home they wanted. While other developers were pitching their products and services to all demographics, this company positioned themselves to be the solution to the millennial market. They then took advantage of their industry connections and experience to secure properties and build upscale, unique living spaces at a reasonable cost.
The execution of this strategy has resulted in significant early-stage growth for this business.