What’s Your Client’s Problem?

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If you’re going to successfully sell a service, you have to understand the problem it will solve for your clients.  

In some cases it’s obvious: if you’re selling pet-sitting services, you’re solving the “what should we do with the dog during vacation” problem. In other cases, it’s not so clear cut.  

Let’s say you’re a wedding planner. What problem are you solving? It could be that your clients don’t feel qualified to put together such a big event on their own. Or it could be that your clients live in another city, and need someone who can meet with vendors on their behalf. Alternatively, maybe your clients’ parents are divorced and the bride and groom need an impartial third party to take the lead and help mediate any disputes.  

If you don’t know which of these problems you’re expected to solve, you’ll have a much tougher time convincing the prospect that you’re the best person for the job.  

The good news: it’s easy to figure out what a potential client’s problem is.  

Just ask. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that sales is all about “the pitch” – that you have to list as many features & benefits as possible while you still have the prospect’s attention.  

Instead, ask the client how you can help. Find out what they’re hoping your service can do for them. If you’re a wedding planner, ask your prospects why they’re looking to hire a wedding planner.  

You’ll find that once you’ve identified your client’s problem, your job becomes a lot easier. Instead of going off on a bunch of tangents about all the wonderful things you can do, you can focus on the one or two things that really matter to the client.  

So what’s your problem, and how can I help?