In the few weeks since I moved from the world of established corporations into the world of small businesses, I keep running into the same idea over and over again: when you are building a “product,” you have to start from the problem you are solving, not the solution. In fact, to push the idea a step further: if you want to be differentiated, brand the problem first.
But I’m jumping ahead.
Solutions in Search of a Problem:
Let’s start with a problem all of us have: sales calls. Some of us have the problem of having to take sales calls. Others have to make them. No one is particularly happy. Why? Because people don’t like to be sold to?
What people actually don’t like is when someone tries to sell them something they don’t want or need. It’s that familiar call where the sales person goes through a long list of features, hoping that one of those features solves some problem you have. Quickly the problem turns into, “how do I get off the phone?”
I recently read David Sandler’s book, You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar, which suggests a simple solution: Ask. If you are trying to sell a solution to a specific problem, it saves a lot of annoyance to figure out whether the customer actually has that problem. They might not have that problem right now, or they’ve already solved it, or they’ve got bigger problems. Those people aren’t going to buy, no matter how good of a sales person you are. Sandler would recommend moving on vs. selling harder - that just frustrates everyone.
Key question: Are you and your customer in agreement on their problem?
Problems vs. Solutions - Which comes first:
In Uri Levine’s book, Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution, he talks about the idea that a new to the world product needs to address a problem that either has no solution or is begging for a better solution. Finding an “under-solved” problem that is so common that you won’t have trouble finding customers is the first key to success. Coming up with a better (and profitable) solution is the other key.
The problem may actually be more important.
For start-ups, it’s easy to fall in love with a product into which you have invested time, money and emotional energy. But, if the product isn’t a good solution, you have two choices: 1. change the product to find a better solution, or 2. find a new problem your product solves.
With a more established company, there must have been a common problem that got the business to where it is today. But the world changed: a new competitor, a new technology, some broad cultural shift. You either find a new problem to solve with your product or find a new solution.
Key question: Are you more attached to your problem or to your solution?
Reframing the Problem
Recently I was talking with a leader from a company that was struggling to accelerate growth. We were discussing what might be holding them back. I suggested reframing the problem.
My analogy: toothpaste. Most people have used the same brand for decades. Why would they change? But, what if you reframed the problem? Teeth Whitening. Some people will switch, not because the old toothpaste stopped doing its job, but because you reframed the problem to something that mattered even more to them.
Another example: some years ago, the Oreo brand was having a tough year. Parents felt like cookies were junk food. The beloved cookie was losing relevance. Then, research uncovered that Oreo cookies were a great solution to a different problem: “how do I get my kids to drink milk?” Oreo shifted its message, reframed the problem and re-ignited growth.
Key Question: Can your brand’s problem be reframed to increase relevance?
Branding the Problem
Which brings me back to “branding the problem.”
Can you define a real problem that a lot of people have, but no one is solving well today? If so try to "brand" that problem (ideally in 3 words or less). Then come up with a new solution or reframe an existing one. This problem-solution framing leads to great clarity about what the brand does, what it doesn’t do and where it should go next.
If you decide you want a thought partner to think through what your problem is, shoot me a note. I’m obsessed with this stuff: jeff.sigel@proprioceptive.io or check out www.proprioceptive.io