A business story is like the roof of a house.
The shape and size of the roof depend on the house’s blueprint and the building’s layout.
It depends on the walls, the columns, and the location of the house. It depends on the style of the house, the materials selected, etc.
So if your story is not connecting with customers, that’s the result of something else not being in place.
While the way you tell the story has an influence, if the content is clear, people would connect with it.
I know this because many people come to me looking to develop a quick story to attract customers. A story that can help them capture interest.
But as we start working together, I quickly see that the biggest challenge is not developing the story. But the lack of clarity on what’s behind it.
Without everything else clarified, it’s hard to come up with something that works.
Say one word instead of another, and you mean something very different. Mention too many things and people will be confused and overwhelmed.
So if you feel your message is not connecting, it’s probably one of these 3 things.
- The problem is not clear enough.
- You are trying to help too many different people
- You are offering too many solutions
And while there are other things that could be affecting your message, these 3 are the most common.
When Selling Services
When I started selling services, I struggled to get people interested. And if I did, then they understood something completely different.
There were too many holes in my bucket.
But, as I talk to more people, and continued to tweak the service, the message improved as well.
Looking back, I see why we struggled so much.
It wasn’t the story, it was our understanding of the problem we tried to solve. Because of the way I was framing it, people couldn’t see it.
They had so many other problems to solve first. So they saw our service as something that added budget, work, and stress to them.
Not good.
It was only once I understood their desire, I was able to simplify the service. And this, in turn, forced me to adapt my message and all my marketing.
Making it extremely clear.
Finally leading to the sales we needed.
This meant we had to change our strategic positioning too. Helping us carve our niche in the market by focusing on a clear customer group with a clear service.
Applying This To Your Business
If your business story is not connecting with customers, ask yourself.
– What’s the 1 problem we solve?
– What’s the 1 type of person I help?
– What’s the 1 solution I help them with?
Clarity and simplicity are the keys here.
But, Juan. What if we have more than 1 problem, 1 solution, and 1 type of customer?
Well, if your company is under a million USD per year in revenue, then this is exactly the problem.
You shouldn’t have more than one of each. And this is even more important if you are under $100k in yearly revenue.
Only after we went over the 6 figure mark, we managed to get enough repetitions to get crystal clear on those 3 answers.