I’ve talked with dozens of agency owners over the past few weeks and one thing has become abundantly clear:
Lead generation is an issue.
I’ve known this. You’ve probably known this. But to hear it from so many people who are offering marketing services to companies…I’m still a bit surprised.
Obviously, marketing is hard. Otherwise, every company with a great product would take off as soon as their ads hit the interwebs.
And this is the mindset a lot of companies take. They think by having a great product, everyone will want it.
So they work on the product and then try fitting it to the market. And a fraction of them actually achieve it. They’re rewarded with the coveted Product-Market Fit and they can double down on marketing efforts.
Smarter companies start with the market and work on fitting the product there. A larger fraction of those companies are successful.
But if you truly want to create a product that people are throwing money at you for, you need to focus entirely on the problem to start.
If you can prove, beyond a doubt, that you understand the problem your target audience is facing, they’re more apt to want what you offer.
In fact, they’ll believe you’ve got the solution for them, even before you talk about it. As long as you can show them you understand their problem in its entirety, you’ll hook them.
But this requires a different way of thinking.
Rather than aiming for Product-Market Fit, you need to seek Problem-Solution Proof.
This is a reputation builder. And the companies with the strongest reputation win in the long run.
You need to focus on the problem entirely.
Understand it like your therapist understands why you’re making excuses for not telling your father you love him.
Understand it like a sommelier understands wine after the tenth glass.
Understand it better than your favorite TV series during your pandemic lockdown binge sessions.
The problem is the most important thing.
Say it with me: The. 👏 Problem. 👏 Is. 👏 The. 👏 Most. 👏 Important. 👏 Thing. 👏👏
Once you’ve nailed that problem, then you focus on the solution.
And you don’t do it at scale. You do it for one client.
Then another.
Then another.
And as you acquire proof that your solution works and gets results, you’re also acquiring testimonials and case studies that validate it.
This is Problem-Solution Proof. It’s a reputation engine that drives the foundational growth of your business.
From here, getting Product-Market Fit is easy. Product-Market Fit is Problem-Solution Proof at scale.
But if you focus on Product-Market Fit before having the proof that your solution solves a very specific problem, you’re going to join the large percentage of companies that never achieve it.