Where Does The Problem Begin?

Post Categories: Copy | Marketing

Question mark on blackboard written in white chalk to ask the question where does the problem begin?

If you’ve found your niche you work with a specific type of person to solve a specific problem in their lives. Whether personal or professional, simple or complex, it is what you do. After you’ve worked in this niche for an amount of time you’ll learn exactly what is going on for your specific ideal clients before you work with them, when you’re working with them, and when you’ve completed your work together. The best way to show that you know them is to be able to know the answer when before you ask your ideal clients “Where does the problem begin?”. 

In short, you may know the cause of their problem better than they do because you have worked with so many people who have the same problem with the same specific situation causing it. So, how do you utilize this information to help your ideal clients? And, can you utilize it ethically to continue to build your business? 

First, you can tap into this information to ethically build your business if you share it with genuinely good intentions. To do this you will want to leave behind the smoke and mirrors marketing and copy trickery promoted by some in the marketing space and turn toward being true to your calling and your clients. 

 

Where Does The Problem Begin?

Get clear on how you’ll share this information in a genuinely helpful way you’ll want to start by mapping out the details. Whether you mind map, write step-by-step, bullet journal, or use other methods of capturing your ideas you’ll want to take a few minutes to get it all down. Start by getting specific on the details of what your ideal client is going in the moment they start to share their problem with you: are they feeling a certain way, thinking specific thoughts about the situation, or wanting your help in a specific way? Write down every detail of what is going on for them and set that aside. 

Then, do the same process for the details of their situation when they decide to reach out to work with you or to sign up for their first session with you. Continue to backtrack the same feelings, thoughts, and other situational details that lead your ideal clients to the point that they are ready for the changes that come from working with you. 

Once you have this information down, notice if you’ve had any revelations about your ideal clients such as: 

  • How the problem impacts their lives and the lives of those around them before they see they absolutely do need help
  • How the problem looks for them before they realize they need help
  • How the problem builds from a minor problem or issue into something much bigger
  • How the problem starts for them, whether that is a month, year, or decades before the present moment

Now we move on to the fun part of how to make this fit into your copy and marketing so it feels natural. 

 

I Know How You Feel

In your copy on your website, sales page, email marketing, social posts, and pretty much everywhere you’ll want to share how well you know what your ideal clients are experiencing in the moments before they work with you. Sharing this information is part of how you’ll highlight how well you know them and how you are the expert they need to get from their current situation to the solution they want. Without cementing this idea your ideal clients may not entirely trust that they want to work with you regardless of the number of features listed on your offer page. 

For an example of how this could work in your copy, look at how your introduction could go from general to fitting just right for your ideal clients. 

Here is a general statement without sharing what they’re experiencing at the moment they’re ready to work with you: 

I help parents find the nap schedules that work best for their specific families based on my years of experience as a baby sleep coach. 

If we get more specific about what is going on with the ideal clients and only the ideal clients, the copy shifts from a quick intro to an invitation to experience a better family life: 

I help mothers of toddlers create sleep schedules that fit their shared sleep needs with simpler evening routines, easing into restful nights, and happier mornings. 

This second example shows how the results solve the problems that their specific client is currently experiencing complicated or cumbersome evening routines, restless or distressing nights without serious sleep, and exhausted mornings for the whole household. 

 

How Far Does It Go? 

Is this introduction complete? It might be done for now or it might be done for the next year for this entrepreneur. Only they will know for sure since they are the expert in their ideal clients. 

If this ideal client’s problem goes deeper, the introduction will need to go deeper as well. So if the child’s disruptive sleep schedule is also throwing off the family (or one parent’s) daytime schedule then noting this is an important step toward showing how well they know the ideal client and that person’s situation. Their adjusted introduction could look like this: 

I help mothers of toddlers create and adjust sleep routines to fit their family’s schedule with simpler evening routines that ease into restful nights, and happier mornings leading to more peaceful days. 

The updates are simple but they give a lot more information on what is created for the families to meet their needs and how it shifts their daily experiences to align with their goals. 

 

How Well Do You Know Them? 

You might be wondering how far your detail sourcing may need to go to create an introduction (or any other piece of copy) that taps into the details of your ideal clients to naturally show how well you know them. The answer isn’t straightforward since it depends on how well you know your ideal clients and how far the problem goes in their experiences. Here are a few questions I ask to find out how far the details need to go in the copy: 

  • Does it have an impact that shows up as an additional problem or two additional problems or more? 
  • How many other people are impacted by the problem? 
  • Does this problem impact a larger family group or community? 
  • Does this problem change how this person lives their life? 
  • Does this problem change how this person interacts with others? 

Once you’re clear on how far the problem reaches into their lives and the lives of those around them, you’ll know how far your copy needs to reach to show that you truly understand the problem. 

If you are ready to create website copy that supports your growing business check out The Copy Guide for free. You’ll get more tips on writing sales and other copy so it truly connects with your specific ideal clients. 

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Download The Copy Guide to Start Writing Now

This is for you if you’ve tried creating your website copy for your website, yet you’re not quite sure how to make your pages truly connect with your ideal clients so they’re ready to buy from you now.

Whether you’re creating your site from scratch or editing your current copy,  The Copy Guide will show you where to start with copy that gets the attention of your ideal clients from the get-go.

You’ll learn what details go on each page for maximum impact, how to source the specific words that work for your ideal clients, how to structure your blog so you’re keeping your prospects engaged, resulting in them getting to know, like, and trust you more (which leads to sales!), and when you have enough copy to make site updates.

Only grab this Guide if you’re ready to create the copy that builds up your business and pulls in more of your ideal clients.

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